University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
Florida
Georgia Falters Late in Florida Series Opener
April 28, 2017 | Baseball
Highlights form the Friday night series opener against the Florida Gators.
April 28, 2017
ATHENS, Ga.--- Georgia succumbed to a ninth-inning rally by eighth-ranked Florida to lose 6-4 Friday night at Foley Field.
After trailing through six innings, Georgia (17-26, 5-14) rallied off four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to capture the 4-3 lead, but the Gator's three-run ninth proved to be the decider.
In the top of the ninth, a wild pitch scored the tying run for Florida (28-13, 11-8), and then two bases-loaded walks gave the Gators a two-run cushion.
Pitching dominated majority of the game as Florida starter Alex Faedo and Georgia starter Andrew Gist combined for 10 shutout frames over six innings. Faedo, the SEC Pitcher of the Week, tallied seven strikeouts, while Gist collected eight of his own.
Faedo cruised through six innings before the Bulldogs' bats tagged him for three runs. Will Proctor plated Mitchell Webb with a double to deep left field which chased Faedo out of the game. Tucker Maxwell made it a one-run game with a RBI groundout and then Tucker Bradley tied it with a double over third base that scored Proctor. Georgia obtained the lead immediately after as Cam Shepherd's up the middle brought Bradley home.
Georgia reliever Justin Glover (0-2) received the loss, while Florida's Garrett Milchin (4-1) picked up the win and Michael Byrne saved it for the Gators.
Game two of the series is slated for Saturday with a 2:02 p.m. scheduled first pitch at Foley Field. Prior to the game, Georgia will hold its annual Lettermen's Day with a special focus on the 30-year anniversary of the 1987 team that was the first squad in school history to advance to the College World Series.
Dawg Tracks
*Freshman Tucker Bradley (3-5) recorded his second RBI of the season and his first-career three-hit game. The right fielder batted leadoff for the sixth time this season and recorded a hit in his first at-bat.
*Freshman Will Proctor (2-3) started his 34th game at second base and notched his sixth two-hit game of the season. He reached base three times with a single, double and a walk.
*Senior Andrew Gist's eight strikeouts were tied for the second-most he has had this season in an outing. Gist went six innings, giving up three runs on nine hits.
*Sophomore LJ Talley (1-3) got the nod as the starting designated hitter, his 15th start of the season. He collected his 11th single of the year in the second inning and scored in the seventh inning after reaching with a walk.
*Junior closer Blake Cairnes is out for the weekend due to tricep tendinitis.
Coach's Corner: Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Scott Stricklin
On being one pitch away from victory...
"That's the thing that hurts so much. You get two-outs, two-strikes and you get ready to win the game, but then it slips away from us. Really painful loss but we have to do our best to bounce back. I thought our kids really battled. I thought the story was Andrew Gist because he didn't have his best stuff. He really battled and pitched out of trouble every inning. He did a good job of keeping us in it and giving us a chance to come back."
On how injuries to the pitching staff affected the use of the bullpen...
"We were going with the matchups. They had their lefties up there, when they brought [Keenan] Bell in and that's when we went to [Justin] Glover and then they had [Deacon] Liput, [Dalton] Guthrie and [Austin] Langworthy. Those are three out of four lefties and Glover was in there to face those lefties. Schaefer Shepard is a guy that throws a lot of strikes and really competes and Andrew Gist kept them off balance with his off-speed stuff."
