Aggies Fend Off Sweep in Series Finale, 5-0

Saturday, March 31

Athens, Ga.

2 p.m.

University of Georgia

21-7, 7-2

Texas A&M

21-8, 3-6

Texas A&M

Georgia Bulldogs

Photo by: Cory A. Cole

March 31, 2018 | Baseball

Box Score UGABox G28

Highlights

Interviews

ATHENS, Ga. – After clinching the Texas A&M series with victories on Thursday and Friday, the Georgia Bulldogs baseball team fell to the Aggies, 5-0, in the final game of the weekend on Saturday afternoon at Foley Field.

With today's contest, Georgia moves to 21-7 on the year and 7-2 in the Southeastern Conference, with Texas A&M improving to 21-8 and 3-6. Aggie starter Mitchell Kilkenny entered the weekend as one of 13 pitchers with a 5-0 record – he upgraded to 6-0 after 6.2 innings of scoreless work in Saturday's matchup.

Texas A&M loaded up the bases in the opening frame with a pair of singles and a walk, setting up the sacrifice fly from Hunter Coleman. Michael Helman also advanced to third on the fly-out, which allowed the junior to score on an RBI groundout for the 2-0 Aggie edge.

The 2-0 score held till the fifth inning, when Helman and Braden Shewmake reached base on a walk and hit-by-pitch. After a double steal, Coleman picked up his second and third RBI of the day with a single to center field, extending the Texas A&M margin to four.

The Aggies tacked on another run in the top of the sixth, after sophomore reliever Will Proctor replaced Georgia starter Ryan Webb on the mound following 4.2 innings of work. Proctor surrendered a pair of hits before a sacrifice fly drove in the final fifth Aggie run.

The Georgia bullpen supplied three innings of one-hit work between senior Blake Cairnes, junior Adam Goodman and sophomore Tim Elliott. Cairnes pitched two innings in relief, striking out three Aggies.

Dawg Tracks
-       Eight Georgia relievers pitched out of the bullpen this weekend – as a staff, the relief squad allowed Texas A&M only two runs in three games.
-       Tucker Maxwell led the Bulldogs at the plate on Saturday, going 2-for-4 with two doubles. The sophomore collected a 5-for-12 clip on the series.
-       Michael Curry and Keegan McGovern have now reached base safely in 18 consecutive games.
-       Georgia has won six consecutive SEC series dating back to last year after winning three SEC series at the conclusion of the 2017 season over Kentucky, Mississippi State and South Carolina. Georgia's 7-2 SEC start this year is the best through nine games since 2002 (7-2).

Coach's Corner
Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Scott Stricklin
On Texas A&M starter Mitchell Kilkenny…
"I thought TAMU played well. I thought Kilkenny was tough, he dug himself a hole walked a couple guys, hit a couple guys but bottom line he fought and competed. We knew we had our work cut out for us today, and I think he's a legit Friday night guy in this league, and I thought he pitched really well and deserved to win."

On the overall series…
"Great weekend, it wasn't a great day but it was a great weekend and that's what you have to look at the whole picture. If you go out and win two out of three every weekend you're going to be in the right place at the end of the year."

Player's Perspective
Senior LF #32 Keegan McGovern
On taking the series vs. TAMU despite losing today…
"It was huge, we were wanting to come in this weekend and win two out of three. That was huge even though we didn't win today, it will help us carry over some momentum heading into this week. We hadn't played a team that was ranked yet, so winning two out of three against a ranked team shows we can play with anybody in the SEC."

Next Up
The Bulldogs face in-state foe Georgia Tech on Tuesday at Foley Field at 7 p.m., before heading to Nashville, Tennessee for a three-game set with the eighth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores that begins Thursday. Tuesday's matchup will be available on SEC Network +, with Thursday's contest slated for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.?