April 16, 2016
ATHENS, GA. – Georgia struck for eight runs in the bottom of third inning and tallied 19 hits on the way to a 13-4 victory over second-ranked South Carolina on Saturday night at Foley Field. The Gamecocks are now 29-7 and 11-3 in the SEC with Georgia improving to 19-17 and 5-9 in league play.
Georgia junior left-hander Connor Jones earned the win and is 5-2 on the year. He allowed one run on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 6.2 innings. South Carolina right-hander Braden Webb suffered the loss. He is now 7-2 on the year. Webb allowed eight runs on nine hits in 2.1 innings with three walks and three strikeouts.
The Bulldogs sent 12 batters to the plate in the third inning to take an 8-0 lead. Skyler Weber singled with one out and Trevor Kieboom walked to give Georgia a pair of runners. Keegan McGovern would drive in the first run with a RBI single to center field. That was followed up by a RBI single from Michael Curry, who bounced a base hit through the left side into left field. Daniel Nichols’ RBI single to center scored McGovern and gave Georgia a three-run lead. Stephen Wrenn would lay a perfect bunt down the third base line to load the bases for the Bulldogs. LJ Talley would then drive in a pair as he knocked a single into right field. A RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Nick King and a two-run double by Skyler Weber completed the scoring for the Bulldogs in the third.
Wrenn would drive in the ninth run of the game for Georgia with a sac fly in the fourth. Michael Curry made it 10-0 Georgia in the sixth with a two-out solo homer.
Carolina would scratch across a run in the top of the seventh. John Jones walked with one out and advanced to second on Hunter Taylor’s two-out single. Jones would score on DC Arendas’ RBI base hit to center field. Georgia added a single run in the bottom of the seventh and two more in the eighth.
The Gamecocks would score three in the ninth inning. Matt Williams would be hit by a pitch with one out and Hunter Taylor doubled to left field for his second hit of the night. Arendas would drive in his second run with a RBI groundout and Gene Cone hit two-out two-run homer to right field, his second homer of the year.
GAME CHANGER
The eight-run third inning gave Georgia a lead they would never relinquish.
KEY STAT
Georgia tallied a season-high in hits and runs for the evening.
NOTABLES
Junior outfielder Gene Cone extended his hitting streak to 22 games with his ninth inning homer. He has also reached base safely in 25 games.
Hunter Taylor went 2-for-2 tying his career-high in hits in a game. Taylor record six two-hit games in the 2015 regular season.
Madison Stokes was 2-for-5 at the plate, his first multi-hit game of the season.
Senior shortstop Marcus Mooney missed Saturday’s game due to a left hip pointer. Sophomore outfielder Alex Destino had to leave the game in the fifth inning due to a strained right hamstring.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Chad Holbrook
It got away from us there in the third, (we) had a bad inning there. They bunched a lot of hits together, hit some good pitches. Braden had good stuff, he was just up in the strike zone and missed over the heart of the plate when people got out there and they made us pay for it. They swung the bats very well. Eight in the third inning was certainly enough to win the game. You can’t give up big innings in this league and expect to win. Hopefully we will bounce back tomorrow.
UP NEXT
The series concludes on Sunday with first pitch at 1 p.m. at Foley Field. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network Plus and can be heard on the Gamecock IMG Network including flagship station, 107.5 FM, “The Game.” The Gamecocks send freshman RHP Adam Hill (5-0, 2.87 ERA) to the mound with Georgia starting sophomore LHP Bo Tucker (3-3, 3.14 ERA).
