University of Georgia Athletics
Clutch Plays Lift Bulldogs In Finale
May 17, 2025 | Baseball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
As Kolten Smith stood on the mound in front of 3,633 at Foley Field on a hot, muggy Saturday afternoon, his fourth-ranked Georgia baseball team leading Texas A&M 7-4 in the regular-season finale, he tried to do something the Bulldogs hadn't yet been able to against the Aggies.
Each time Georgia had taken the lead earlier in the game — 2-0 in the fifth and 4-2 in the sixth — it hadn't been able to hold the lead. The Aggies drew even in the top of the sixth and seventh, but Smith had a chance to change that in the eighth. The Bulldogs plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh for that 7-4 lead, and now it was Smith's turn to hold the lead.
The junior right-hander rose to the occasion, striking out the Aggies in order.
"Oh, that was pretty cool," Smith said after the Bulldogs' 7-5 win. "It's pretty cool. It's exactly what I was trying to do."
The Aggies got a run in the ninth off of closer Zach Harris, but soon the game and the regular season were complete. With the victory, Georgia took two of three games in the series and finished 42-12 overall and 18-12 in the loaded SEC. The Bulldogs, who have the No. 1 RPI in the country and are ranked anywhere from No. 4 to No. 10, depending on the poll, are hoping they've done enough to be one of the eight national seeds in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
"Having 18 wins in this league is really, really hard. It doesn't happen every year, and when you get there, it's good," said Wes Johnson, Georgia's Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach.
Saturday's game was scoreless through the first four innings. In the bottom of the fifth, with Hunter Henry on first and one out — Henry had been hit by a pitch for the second time in the game — Slate Alford dug in against Aggies starter Myles Patton. What followed wasn't one of Alford's towering blasts that he's hit so often over the past two seasons. No, this was an eker.
Not many hitters can drive a ball practically off their fists over the wall in center field, but that's what Alford did. It barely cleared the wall, but barely was plenty.
"Because I had that deep fly out to left-center (earlier), I go to Slate; I was like, 'Slate, you're going to get this guy,'" Ryland Zaborowski said. "Groomer (Derek Groomer, baseball's director of athletic performance) even called it, as well. ... Chest-bumping with him (afterward) was awesome."
As it turned out, A&M's Bear Harrison, built like his first name suggests, was also capable of eking out a homer to center field off the fists. He did so with one on in the top of the sixth off starter Leighton Finley, quickly tying the game after Alford's similar shot in the fifth. Finley was solid in his six innings on the mound, surrendering just two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out seven.
The game wasn't tied very long. After a one-out Zaborowski single to left field in the bottom of the sixth, Henry blasted a two-run homer to right off reliever Weston Moss, making it 4-2. The Aggies hit two solo homers in the seventh off reliever DJ Radtke to tie the game 4-4.
Georgia's offense went back to work in the bottom of the seventh against left-handed reliever Caden McCoy. Kolby Branch hit a one-out single, Nolan McCarthy drew a walk, and then Ryan Black smacked an RBI single to right, scoring Branch from second. Branch's headfirst slide got his hand across the plate just ahead of the catcher's tag, putting the Bulldogs up 5-4.
Dan Jackson came to the plate next, and before he could swing his bat, the runners on first and second advanced on a wild pitch. Jackson then reached first safely on a soft ground ball, loading the bases for Zaborowski. The Aggies made a pitching change at that point, bringing in the memorably-named Clayton Freshcorn.
Zaborowski swung at the first Freshcorn offering and sent a high chopper over the head of the third baseman, scoring McCarthy and Black for a 7-4 lead. And unlike the previous times that the Bulldogs took the lead, the Aggies weren't able to answer right back.
It was a meaningful game and performance for Zaborowski, who hadn't played since April 26 due to an injury. He had two hits and two RBIs as the designated hitter Saturday, and wore a big smile after his return to the lineup.
"It was so awesome," he said. "My first at-bat, I kind of got that little standing ovation of cheers, and that just boosted my confidence."
The Bulldogs, winners of nine of their last 12 games, now head into the postseason with plenty of confidence. The SEC tournament is next week, followed by the NCAA regionals at the end of the month.
Staff Writer
As Kolten Smith stood on the mound in front of 3,633 at Foley Field on a hot, muggy Saturday afternoon, his fourth-ranked Georgia baseball team leading Texas A&M 7-4 in the regular-season finale, he tried to do something the Bulldogs hadn't yet been able to against the Aggies.
Each time Georgia had taken the lead earlier in the game — 2-0 in the fifth and 4-2 in the sixth — it hadn't been able to hold the lead. The Aggies drew even in the top of the sixth and seventh, but Smith had a chance to change that in the eighth. The Bulldogs plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh for that 7-4 lead, and now it was Smith's turn to hold the lead.
The junior right-hander rose to the occasion, striking out the Aggies in order.
"Oh, that was pretty cool," Smith said after the Bulldogs' 7-5 win. "It's pretty cool. It's exactly what I was trying to do."
The Aggies got a run in the ninth off of closer Zach Harris, but soon the game and the regular season were complete. With the victory, Georgia took two of three games in the series and finished 42-12 overall and 18-12 in the loaded SEC. The Bulldogs, who have the No. 1 RPI in the country and are ranked anywhere from No. 4 to No. 10, depending on the poll, are hoping they've done enough to be one of the eight national seeds in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
"Having 18 wins in this league is really, really hard. It doesn't happen every year, and when you get there, it's good," said Wes Johnson, Georgia's Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach.
Saturday's game was scoreless through the first four innings. In the bottom of the fifth, with Hunter Henry on first and one out — Henry had been hit by a pitch for the second time in the game — Slate Alford dug in against Aggies starter Myles Patton. What followed wasn't one of Alford's towering blasts that he's hit so often over the past two seasons. No, this was an eker.
Not many hitters can drive a ball practically off their fists over the wall in center field, but that's what Alford did. It barely cleared the wall, but barely was plenty.
"Because I had that deep fly out to left-center (earlier), I go to Slate; I was like, 'Slate, you're going to get this guy,'" Ryland Zaborowski said. "Groomer (Derek Groomer, baseball's director of athletic performance) even called it, as well. ... Chest-bumping with him (afterward) was awesome."
As it turned out, A&M's Bear Harrison, built like his first name suggests, was also capable of eking out a homer to center field off the fists. He did so with one on in the top of the sixth off starter Leighton Finley, quickly tying the game after Alford's similar shot in the fifth. Finley was solid in his six innings on the mound, surrendering just two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out seven.
The game wasn't tied very long. After a one-out Zaborowski single to left field in the bottom of the sixth, Henry blasted a two-run homer to right off reliever Weston Moss, making it 4-2. The Aggies hit two solo homers in the seventh off reliever DJ Radtke to tie the game 4-4.
Georgia's offense went back to work in the bottom of the seventh against left-handed reliever Caden McCoy. Kolby Branch hit a one-out single, Nolan McCarthy drew a walk, and then Ryan Black smacked an RBI single to right, scoring Branch from second. Branch's headfirst slide got his hand across the plate just ahead of the catcher's tag, putting the Bulldogs up 5-4.
Dan Jackson came to the plate next, and before he could swing his bat, the runners on first and second advanced on a wild pitch. Jackson then reached first safely on a soft ground ball, loading the bases for Zaborowski. The Aggies made a pitching change at that point, bringing in the memorably-named Clayton Freshcorn.
Zaborowski swung at the first Freshcorn offering and sent a high chopper over the head of the third baseman, scoring McCarthy and Black for a 7-4 lead. And unlike the previous times that the Bulldogs took the lead, the Aggies weren't able to answer right back.
It was a meaningful game and performance for Zaborowski, who hadn't played since April 26 due to an injury. He had two hits and two RBIs as the designated hitter Saturday, and wore a big smile after his return to the lineup.
"It was so awesome," he said. "My first at-bat, I kind of got that little standing ovation of cheers, and that just boosted my confidence."
The Bulldogs, winners of nine of their last 12 games, now head into the postseason with plenty of confidence. The SEC tournament is next week, followed by the NCAA regionals at the end of the month.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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