University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
7-5
Georgia Southern
9-3
Eagles Defeat Bulldogs
March 08, 2022 | Baseball
The Bulldogs (9-3) chased Eagle left-hander Will Robbins in the first, scoring five runs on just two hits and both left the park. Corey Collins made it 2-0 with his fourth home run of the year, and a couple of Eagle errors kept the inning going for Josh McAllister to smash a three-run shot for a 5-0 advantage. Then, the GSU bullpen blanked the Bulldogs over the final 8.1 innings while the Eagles offense scored in each of the first five frames to build a 13-5 advantage.
The Eagles (7-5) got a run back in their half of the first when Jason Swan connected for his third home run, one of three on the night for GSU who came into the game with just six home runs on the year. The Eagles got a run-scoring double from Austin Thompson in the second, and then he struck again with two outs in the third with a three-run blast off Michael Polk to give them a 6-5 lead.
Redshirt sophomore right-hander Will Childers, who hails from nearby Evans, Ga., made his first start for the Bulldogs since 2020 after missing last season while recovering from elbow surgery. He allowed a run and struck out two before leaving the game following a couple of warmup pitches in the bottom of the second after Georgia's Ike Cousins head coach Scott Stricklin and athletic trainer Zach Adams went to the mound to check on him.
Polk was the first of five relief pitchers the Bulldogs employed the rest of the way. In the fourth, GSU posted another two-out rally when junior Noah Ledford made it 10-5 with his first career grand slam off Nolan Crisp. The Eagles added three runs on two hits off freshman Jake Poindexter in the fifth to extend their lead to 13-5.
"It was a disappointing loss, and bottom line, we have to be a tougher team," said Stricklin. "We've got too many older players to let this happen. There's always going to be adversity, and we didn't respond. I've challenged our coaches and our players to be tougher."
Ga'Von Wray picked up the win in relief of Robbins to move his record to 3-0 while Polk dropped to 0-1. Bulldog sophomore Bryce Melear, also from Evans, provided two scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts in his first action of the season.
A combined eight batters were hit by pitches Tuesday, four by each team, and the scariest came in the third inning when McAllister was struck in the left cheek. He was taken to a local hospital where he was treated and released.
"We are thankful that Josh didn't get hit in the eye," said Stricklin. "He should be able to come back eventually and will likely have to wear a facemask."
The two-game series concludes Wednesday in Statesboro with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. (ESPN+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wray, Ga'Von (3-0)
L: Polk, Michael (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Collins, Corey 1 ; McAllister, Joshua 1
RBI: Collins, Corey 2 ; McAllister, Joshua 3
SH: Gonzalez, Fernando 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Anderson, Ben 1 ; Collins, Corey 1 ; Tate, Connor 1 ; Blaylock, Garrett 1 ; McAllister, Joshua 1
SB: Blaylock, Garrett 1
CS: Acton, Cory 1
HBP: Anderson, Ben 1 ; Tate, Connor 1 ; McAllister, Joshua 1 ; Rogers, Chaney 1
Batting:
2B: Thompson, Austin 1 ; Brown, Jarrett 1
HR: Swan, Jason 1 ; Ledford, Noah 1 ; Thompson, Austin 1
RBI: Sherrill, Jesse 1 ; Swan, Jason 1 ; Avant, Christian 1 ; Ledford, Noah 4 ; White, Sean 2 ; Thompson, Austin 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Sherrill, Jesse 2 ; Swan, Jason 2 ; Avant, Christian 2 ; Ledford, Noah 2 ; White, Sean 2 ; Thompson, Austin 1 ; Brown, Jarrett 1 ; Biederer, Parker 1
HBP: Sherrill, Jesse 1 ; Avant, Christian 1 ; White, Sean 1 ; Biederer, Parker 1
