University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Baseball Defeats Lipscomb, 14-3
June 02, 2008 | General
ATHENS, Ga. --- The top-seeded Georgia Bulldogs dvanced to the championship round of the Athens Regional in the 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Championships by posting a 14-3 victory over the fourth seed Lipscomb Bisons on Sunday afternoon at Foley Field.
"It was a good win, and a very good one for Nathan (Moreau)," Georgia head coach David Perno said. "We needed that, and our offense had to come through early and set the tone, and they did. We need some special players to be special to do this, and they made it happen for us in this first game, and now we got it do it again tonight."
Georgia (37-22-1) and the second-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will square off in game six at 6:06 p.m. ET Sunday evening. If the Yellow Jackets win the evening contest they would earn the Athens Regional title and the right to advance to Super Regional action. If the Bulldogs win game six, they would force a decisive game seven to be played Monday night at 7 p.m.
In their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the Lipscomb Bisons went 1-2 and finish their season with an overall record of 33-30. The Bisons made it into the NCAA post-season event by winning the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament.
On Sunday afternoon, Georgia junior starting pitcher Nathan Moreau (4-2) earned the win after tossing a season-high seven innings allowing just three runs on eight hits striking out six and walking none, while Lipscomb's starter, senior Mike Dunn (5-5), suffered the loss after allowing nine runs on 11 hits in four innings. Sophomore Justin Earls worked the final two innings for Georgia allowing no runs on one hit.
Offensively, Georgia's 14 run output came on 21 hits led by senior Matt Olson, sophomore Rich Poythress and juniors Bryce Massanari and Gordon Beckham. Olson produced five of the hits in six at-bats scoring four runs and driving in another, while Poythress went 2-for-4 with five RBI and two runs scored. Massanari recorded three RBI and scored a run in a 2-for-4 game at the plate, and Beckham contributed four hits in six at-bats with three runs scored and two RBI.
Georgia jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. After senior Ryan Peisel drew a leadoff walk, Olson singled through the right side of the infield to put runners on the corners. Beckham followed with a single up the middle scoring Peisel. On the play, Olson moved around to third and Beckham took second. Poythress then delivered a two-run single to center. Poythress would move around to third on a pair of groundouts and score on a single to center from freshman Lyle Allen.
The Bulldogs added to runs to make their lead 6-0 in the second. Back-to-back doubles to left center from Olson and Beckham produced the first run, and after a groundout moved Beckham to third, Massanari singled through the left side of the infield driving in the second run.
Lipscomb got on the board with a run in the bottom of the third making it a 6-1 contest. Junior Branden Cadavid led off with an infield single, moved to third on a double from senior Jorge Gutierrez and scored on a groundout from junior Allen Bolden.
In the fourth, Georgia added to runs, while Lipscomb added one giving the game an 8-2 score. In the top of the frame, Massanari provided the Bulldogs with a two-run home run center. Olson was on base after singling to right field in his at-bat. Lipscomb's run in the bottom of the inning came on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Ryan Wilkins. Senior Blake Bratcher scored the run after doubling and advancing to third on a single from junior Justin Sanders.
Georgia produced its second four run inning in the top of the fifth stretching its advantage to 12-2. Redshirt junior Miles Starr doubled through the left side, advanced to third on a single from Peisel and scored on a single to right field from Olson. Two batters later, Poythress delivered a three-run home run to left center.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Bisons produced another that made the score 12-3. Senior Ben Williams doubled, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single to left center from Bolden.
The Bulldogs added two runs in the top of the ninth extending the advantage to 14-3. Beckham singled, sophomore Joey Lewis was hit by a pitch and sophomore Matt Cerione singled to load the bases for redshirt senior Jake Crane, who singled to center driving in the two runs.
POST GAME NOTES:
Georgia
* Junior Bryce Massanari's RBI single in the second and his two-run home run in the fourth each came with two outs, giving him a team-leading 26th two-out RBI on the year
* Senior Matt Olson went 5-for-6 on Sunday (Four singles and a double). The last Bulldog to record five hits in a game was Joey Lewis against Kentucky on April 27, 2007 (Four singles and a double)
* Junior starting pitcher Nathan Moreau set a season-high with seven innings pitched. His previous season-high was six innings on three occasions
* The 21 hits by the Bulldogs were the most the Bisons had allowed in a game in 2008
Lipscomb
* The 21 hits allowed set a season high for Lipscomb pitching; they last allowed at least 18 hits on April 25, 2007 when Tennessee-Martin collected 26 in a 20-15 win.
* The Lipscomb/Georgia rematch marked the first rematch game for an A-Sun school since Florida Atlantic faced Mississippi State twice in 2005 (lost both).
* In the last 10 NCAA Tournaments, A-Sun schools have faced the same opponent at least twice on 17 occasions, in seven of those, the A-Sun school won the first meeting, but only when UCF met Oklahoma State in 2004 did the A-Sun school also prevail in the second meeting.
* A-Sun schools own a 5-15 record when seeing an opponent for a second, or in three instances, a third time at a regional.
* A-Sun fall to 7-21 against the SEC in NCAA Tournament play.
* For the fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament, no A-Sun school will record multiple wins at a regional; UCF, three, and FAU, two, each turned the trick in 2004 extending a streak to six years of at least one A-Sun member winning at least twice.
* After holding Georgia's All-American shortstop and Player of Year candidate Gordon Beckham to a .238 average (5-for-21) with no home runs and only two RBI in five games against A-Sun pitching, the junior collected four hits in six trips to the plate and drove in two runs.
* This afternoon's game marked the final event for Lipscomb Athletic Director Dr. Steve Potts, he will assume the role of Senior Associate Director of Athletics at Pepperdine University
"It was a good win, and a very good one for Nathan (Moreau)," Georgia head coach David Perno said. "We needed that, and our offense had to come through early and set the tone, and they did. We need some special players to be special to do this, and they made it happen for us in this first game, and now we got it do it again tonight."
Georgia (37-22-1) and the second-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will square off in game six at 6:06 p.m. ET Sunday evening. If the Yellow Jackets win the evening contest they would earn the Athens Regional title and the right to advance to Super Regional action. If the Bulldogs win game six, they would force a decisive game seven to be played Monday night at 7 p.m.
In their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the Lipscomb Bisons went 1-2 and finish their season with an overall record of 33-30. The Bisons made it into the NCAA post-season event by winning the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament.
On Sunday afternoon, Georgia junior starting pitcher Nathan Moreau (4-2) earned the win after tossing a season-high seven innings allowing just three runs on eight hits striking out six and walking none, while Lipscomb's starter, senior Mike Dunn (5-5), suffered the loss after allowing nine runs on 11 hits in four innings. Sophomore Justin Earls worked the final two innings for Georgia allowing no runs on one hit.
Offensively, Georgia's 14 run output came on 21 hits led by senior Matt Olson, sophomore Rich Poythress and juniors Bryce Massanari and Gordon Beckham. Olson produced five of the hits in six at-bats scoring four runs and driving in another, while Poythress went 2-for-4 with five RBI and two runs scored. Massanari recorded three RBI and scored a run in a 2-for-4 game at the plate, and Beckham contributed four hits in six at-bats with three runs scored and two RBI.
Georgia jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. After senior Ryan Peisel drew a leadoff walk, Olson singled through the right side of the infield to put runners on the corners. Beckham followed with a single up the middle scoring Peisel. On the play, Olson moved around to third and Beckham took second. Poythress then delivered a two-run single to center. Poythress would move around to third on a pair of groundouts and score on a single to center from freshman Lyle Allen.
The Bulldogs added to runs to make their lead 6-0 in the second. Back-to-back doubles to left center from Olson and Beckham produced the first run, and after a groundout moved Beckham to third, Massanari singled through the left side of the infield driving in the second run.
Lipscomb got on the board with a run in the bottom of the third making it a 6-1 contest. Junior Branden Cadavid led off with an infield single, moved to third on a double from senior Jorge Gutierrez and scored on a groundout from junior Allen Bolden.
In the fourth, Georgia added to runs, while Lipscomb added one giving the game an 8-2 score. In the top of the frame, Massanari provided the Bulldogs with a two-run home run center. Olson was on base after singling to right field in his at-bat. Lipscomb's run in the bottom of the inning came on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Ryan Wilkins. Senior Blake Bratcher scored the run after doubling and advancing to third on a single from junior Justin Sanders.
Georgia produced its second four run inning in the top of the fifth stretching its advantage to 12-2. Redshirt junior Miles Starr doubled through the left side, advanced to third on a single from Peisel and scored on a single to right field from Olson. Two batters later, Poythress delivered a three-run home run to left center.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Bisons produced another that made the score 12-3. Senior Ben Williams doubled, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single to left center from Bolden.
The Bulldogs added two runs in the top of the ninth extending the advantage to 14-3. Beckham singled, sophomore Joey Lewis was hit by a pitch and sophomore Matt Cerione singled to load the bases for redshirt senior Jake Crane, who singled to center driving in the two runs.
POST GAME NOTES:
Georgia
* Junior Bryce Massanari's RBI single in the second and his two-run home run in the fourth each came with two outs, giving him a team-leading 26th two-out RBI on the year
* Senior Matt Olson went 5-for-6 on Sunday (Four singles and a double). The last Bulldog to record five hits in a game was Joey Lewis against Kentucky on April 27, 2007 (Four singles and a double)
* Junior starting pitcher Nathan Moreau set a season-high with seven innings pitched. His previous season-high was six innings on three occasions
* The 21 hits by the Bulldogs were the most the Bisons had allowed in a game in 2008
Lipscomb
* The 21 hits allowed set a season high for Lipscomb pitching; they last allowed at least 18 hits on April 25, 2007 when Tennessee-Martin collected 26 in a 20-15 win.
* The Lipscomb/Georgia rematch marked the first rematch game for an A-Sun school since Florida Atlantic faced Mississippi State twice in 2005 (lost both).
* In the last 10 NCAA Tournaments, A-Sun schools have faced the same opponent at least twice on 17 occasions, in seven of those, the A-Sun school won the first meeting, but only when UCF met Oklahoma State in 2004 did the A-Sun school also prevail in the second meeting.
* A-Sun schools own a 5-15 record when seeing an opponent for a second, or in three instances, a third time at a regional.
* A-Sun fall to 7-21 against the SEC in NCAA Tournament play.
* For the fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament, no A-Sun school will record multiple wins at a regional; UCF, three, and FAU, two, each turned the trick in 2004 extending a streak to six years of at least one A-Sun member winning at least twice.
* After holding Georgia's All-American shortstop and Player of Year candidate Gordon Beckham to a .238 average (5-for-21) with no home runs and only two RBI in five games against A-Sun pitching, the junior collected four hits in six trips to the plate and drove in two runs.
* This afternoon's game marked the final event for Lipscomb Athletic Director Dr. Steve Potts, he will assume the role of Senior Associate Director of Athletics at Pepperdine University
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