Georgia baseball trounces USC Upstate in 15-3 win
During Georgia baseball’s Tuesday night matchup against the USC Upstate Spartans, the fireworks were flying early and often.
The Bulldogs scored five runs before getting their first out of the game, contributing to their 8-0 lead after the second inning. Georgia eventually won the contest 15-3, as the Bulldogs finished the night with 16 total hits.
Connor Tate got the night started for the Bulldogs, singling into left field on a hit that brought Cole Tate and Ben Anderson home while advancing Corey Collins to third base.
Upstate decided that it was time for a pitcher change, bringing in the righty Lukas Touma for the starter, Austin Morgan.
Then, in his first at-bat of the game, Cole Wagner gave the Dawgs a five-run lead, sending the ball past deep right field for a three-run home run. Only one inning later, Connor Tate also hit a three-run home run, this time scoring Corey Collins and Cole Tate.
Georgia’s offense slowed down from that point, but the Bulldogs’ eight runs within the first 20 minutes of the contest allowed them to coast to an easy win over the Spartans.
Connor Tate had a career day for the Bulldogs with three hits in his four at-bats. The graduate student was responsible for five runs batted in and was a triple away from hitting for the cycle. After the game, Tate explained what allowed the team to have such a strong night at the plate.
“Yeah, I’d say it’s definitely contagious, but I mean we put in the hard work to see the ball in our zone and swing at the pitches that we wanna swing at,” he said. “It’s proving that if you actually swing at the ball that you wanna hit.”
Cole Wagner also had a great outing for the Dawgs, contributing two hits, three RBIs, and a home run in his three at-bats.
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On the field after Georgia’s win, Wagner explained what was going through his head during his homer.
“Yeah, I mean he made some good pitches before. I fell off the first-pitch fastball, so I mean I knew I was right on it. I just tried to shorten up the two strikes and really give myself a chance on everything he was gonna throw,” Wagner said. “So, really, I just tried to stay short through it and caught an inside fastball.”
Georgia dives into SEC competition this Friday when they take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Foley Field.
For Scott Stricklin and the Bulldogs, it was important for Georgia’s offense to gain some energy on Tuesday night.
“Yeah, certainly wanted to see us score some runs. Offensively, we’re gonna need to do some things to continue to get better. We’re gonna need to score some runs, and I thought we did that. Coleman Willis gave us a nice start. I think he was really good the first two innings. Third inning, he wasn’t as clean, but he kinda fought through it. I think he did a nice job. It’s good to see Jake Poindexter there at the end. I thought he was really good. We’re gonna need everybody, and that’s the message to the team right now. We’re a little banged up, and we’re gonna need everybody to get through this thing, and this weekend is a big test.”
Georgia may be fueled up after scoring 15 runs before heading into SEC play, but for Tate, the only thing that matters is that the team stays true to themselves.
“Yeah, definitely we have momentum, but I mean we don’t really talk about the momentum,” he said. “Just be the person that we are and just see the ball and hit the ball in your zone.”
Friday’s game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs will be live on SEC Network at 7:00 p.m. ET.
