Wes Johnson praises Game 2 starter Leighton Finley's effort facing elimination in Athens Super Regional

Georgia erased any memory of Saturday’s Game 1 loss to NC State when the Bulldogs jumped out to a multi-run lead during the first four innings of Game 2 on Sunday.

A trio of home runs on offense helped push the Bulldogs in front while RHP Leighton Finley kept the Wolfpack’s bats at bay less than 24 hours after the same lineup generated 20 hits from the UGA pitching staff. Head coach Wes Johnson applauded his starter’s pitching arsenal for keeping the NC State batters guessing early.

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“When Leighton [Finley] has his changeup working like he does today, he can command from the fastball to breaking balls, but at times it doesn’t have to be as sharp it just needs to be around the zone and you can get a few chases on it,” Johnson said after Finley completed his third inning of scoreless work.

As strong of a first few innings as the Bulldogs had, it’s hard to forget how NC State won Saturday’s Super Regional opener. The Wolfpack defeated Georgia 18-1 thanks to an 11-run second inning that put the game out of reach early.

After the game, Johnson told reporters that his team would respond — and they have through the early innings of Game 2, leading by eight runs in the fourth inning.

“I just told them, ‘Hey, it’s baseball. The score never carries over.’ The great thing about our game is you get to get back out on the field quickly and it’s 0-0.”

A scoreless tie was quickly broken in the first inning by a two-run home run from Slate Alford in the top of the first inning. Tre Phelps launched a three-run homer of his own in the third inning to set the tone for the first half of Sunday’s elimination game.

Three more runs from the bats of Phelps, Kolby Branch and Corey Collins came home in the fourth to do exactly what NC State did to the Bulldogs in Game 1 by scoring in droves early. After the Wolfpack’s success at the plate on Saturday with five home runs — it’s entirely possible that NC State can mount a comeback. After all, they’ve recorded 25 come-from-behind victories this season alone.

Fans can watch the exciting conclusion to Georgia-NC State live on ESPN2 as the Bulldogs look to keep their season alive for at least one more game.