Georgia hit four home runs as part of a 9-4 series-clinching win over No. 18 Tennessee at Foley Field before 3,506 spectators.
Georgia (27-21, 10-14 SEC) had 14 hits on the afternoon, including a pair of home runs by Charlie Condon, who tied the SEC freshman record with 22 on the year (Pedro Alvarez-Vanderbilt hit 22 in 2006). Condon went 2 for 5 at the plate with three RBIs, while graduate Ben Anderson set the tone with a leadoff homer in the first, which was the fourth time he has done it in his career. Graduate Connor Tate (2-for-4) caught a pair of doubles, tallying 19 for the season, tying him for the SEC lead.
“We have a lot of fight and a lot of pride,” said Scott Stricklin, the head baseball coach of Georgia’s Ike Cousins. “When things don’t go your way, what are you going to do? You can’t just give up and quit. You have to fight a bit, and these guys have done that. We’ve been playing good baseball these past few weeks. We’ve won three of our last four series. We are getting closer to where we need to be, but we still have work to do. I am very proud of these children.”
After Anderson’s fourth home run of the year, Tate followed up with his 18th double of the season to right field when Harber singled up the middle to push Tate to an early 2–0 lead. Georgia kept going in the second on a single by junior Sebastian Murillo, who advanced to second on graduate Mason LaPlante’s sacrifice bunt. Freshman Dwight Allen II singled to center field scoring Murillo for a 3–0 lead.
Tennessee (32-16, 12-12 SEC) got on the board in the third with an RBI single. Condon responded in the bottom of the frame, hitting his 21st home run of the season, setting a new Georgia freshman record to increase the Bulldogs’ lead, 4–1. The Volunteers used a two-run home run by Cal Stark and a one-run single to tie the score up in the fourth, 4–4. Georgia starter Liam Sullivan was replaced by Kyle Greenler after pitching 3 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and six hits.
Georgia regained the lead in the fifth when Condon hit his 22nd home run of the season, tying the SEC freshman record for most home runs in a year and scoring Anderson. This marks the fourth time this season that Condon has hit at least two home runs in a single contest. Harber followed and hit a two-run home run, on the 16th of the season, to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 8–4. The Bulldogs added another run in the eighth when LaPlante scored on Anderson’s single, 9-4.
Greenler (2-1) got the win, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings and just two hits. Tennessee starter Drew Beam (6-3) suffered his third loss of the season after pitching 4 1/3 innings, scattered eight runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts.
“It’s just resilience across the entire staff and lineup,” Condon said. “Everyone is doing their job right now and having the confidence that the guy next to you will do the same too is the key.”
The Bulldogs will return to action Tuesday when they host USC Upstate. First pitch is scheduled for 6:02 pm The game will air live on SEC Network+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.