University of Georgia
12-6, 0-1
Alabama
16-3, 1-0
Alabama Edges Georgia In 13 Innings
March 17, 2018 | Baseball
In the Southeastern Conference opener for both squads, it was Georgia (12-6, 0-1 SEC) that struck first, jumping on starter Sam Finnerty by sending nine to the plate. The Bulldogs scored five runs on five hits plus two Alabama errors and a passed ball. Sophomore Tucker Bradley led off the game with a double down the left field line and scored on an error by third baseman Cobie Vance. In the inning, Adam Sasser, LJ Talley and Mason Meadows notched two-out, RBI-singles. In the bottom of the first, Alabama got a run back as junior Chandler Taylor hit his seventh home run of the season to make it 5-1.
The Crimson Tide threatened in the second after senior Chase Adkins issued a pair of walks and eventually loaded the bases. Coming into the contest, Adkins had issued just two walks in 21.1 innings this season. However, he got out of the jam unscathed to maintain a four-run advantage. In the fifth, Bulldog sophomore Aaron Schunk extended his hitting streak to a career-best 13 games with an RBI-double to give Georgia a 6-1 lead. Alabama plated three runs on four hits in the fifth as Adkins was lifted in favor of junior Kevin Smith. Adkins went 4.2 innings and surrendered four runs on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Smith gave up five runs (only two earned) on four hits over 1.2 innings.
In the sixth, Bradley reached base on an error by second baseman Chandler Avant. Then, senior Keegan McGovern smashed his team-leading seventh home run of the year to make it 8-4. It was his 18th of his career and a new season-high after he blasted six as a sophomore in 2016. Finnerty went six innings and allowed eight runs (only three earned) on 11 hits.
Alabama (16-3, 1-0 SEC) took its first lead in the seventh when it had a five-run outburst for a 9-8 advantage. Georgia answered in the eighth, scoring an unearned run on the Tide's fourth error of the night. The game remained that way until Joe Braeux's two-out, RBI-single in the 13th off sophomore Zac Kristofak (1-1). Kristofak pitched the final 2.2 innings and struck out five plus grounded out in his first career plate appearance. Alabama reliever Dylan Duarte (2-0) pitched three scoreless innings for the victory.
The loss overshadowed a tremendous relief effort by Schunk, who tossed three shutout innings with a career-high seven strikeouts. Overall, Georgia pitchers tallied 21 strikeouts, which tied a school record set in 1908, also against Alabama. Friday's game lasted five hours and two minutes, eclipsing the school record of 4:56 set in 2012 at Florida in a contest that went 16 innings.
The series continues Saturday with first pitch set for 2 p.m. ET and be televised on the SEC Network.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dylan Duarte (2-0)
L: Kristofak, Zac (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Bradley, Tucker 1 ; Schunk, Aaron 1
HR: McGovern, Keegan 1
RBI: McGovern, Keegan 2 ; Shepherd, Cam 1 ; Schunk, Aaron 1 ; Sasser, Adam 1 ; Talley, LJ 1 ; Meadows, Mason 1
SH: Bradley, Tucker 1 ; Sullivan, Patrick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bradley, Tucker 2 ; McGovern, Keegan 1 ; Shepherd, Cam 1 ; Curry, Michael 2 ; Sasser, Adam 1 ; Talley, LJ 1 ; Smith, C.J. 1
SB: Bradley, Tucker 1 ; Shepherd, Cam 1
HBP: Webb, Mitchell 1 ; Schunk, Aaron 1
Batting:
HR: Chandler Taylor 1
RBI: Cody Henry 1 ; Chandler Taylor 1 ; Joe Breaux 2 ; Chandler Avant 3 ; Jett Manning 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Cobie Vance 2 ; Cody Henry 1 ; Chandler Taylor 3 ; Chandler Avant 1 ; Keith Holcombe 2 ; Matt Malkin 1
SB: Chandler Taylor 1 ; Keith Holcombe 1
HBP: Cobie Vance 1 ; Chandler Taylor 1 ; Joe Breaux 1 ; Keith Holcombe 1 ; Jett Manning 1
