UGA Baseball: Bulldogs Sweep No. 17 Ga. Tech Again
| Team | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 6 | 1 | |
| 9 | 10 | 0 |
Lawrenceville, Ga. – Fourth-ranked Georgia completed a series sweep of No. 17 Georgia Tech Sunday 9-3 at Coolray Field, marking the third sweep of the Yellow Jackets in the past four years.
The Bulldogs (11-1), picked up the win in front of a sellout 10,299 fans, the third sellout crowd of the series. Freshman Jonathan Cannon earned his third win of the season after coming in to relieve starting lefthander C.J. Smith, who ended his day with six strikeouts. Zach Maxwell took his first loss of the season for Georgia Tech.
Georgia’s Tucker Bradley continued his streak of reaching base safely in all 12 games this season. Bradley also had his fifth three hit game of the season. Ben Anderson continued a couple of streaks of his own, extending his hitting streak to seven and is right behind Bradley, having reached base safely in the last 11 games so far this season.
The Bulldogs picked up right where they left off from Saturday’s 12-0 contest, putting up three runs in the first inning thanks in part to some smart base running and three wild pitches. The Yellow Jackets (7-4) struck right back with a run of their own after a couple of doubles.
In the bottom of the third, Bradley reached first on a single, followed by a wild pitch and a couple of sacrifice flies that sent him around the base path and home to push the lead back to three, 4-1.
In the top of the fifth, Georgia Tech pushed across two before Cannon picked up the third out with a strikeout with the Bulldogs taking a 4-3 lead into the sixth.
In the sixth, the flood gates began to open. Back to back walks put runners on first and second followed by a double down the line for Anderson to extend the Bulldog lead. Bradley continued his strong outing with a two-run single to left center to further the Bulldog lead.
Georgia picked up a couple of insurance runs after Anderson’s second double of the game, fifth of his career, scoring Chaney Rogers in the seventh, and a sacrifice fly by Riley King to score Bradley in the eighth delivering the knockout blow to pick up the series sweep. Georgia has swept Tech in 2017, 2018 and now 2020, winning 10 of the past 12 meetings.
Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Scott Stricklin
On the game…
“We played really well and that’s a good top 20 baseball team we just swept. The past two days, that’s the best we’ve played all year. Coolray was a great host today, and it says something about the rivalry and the fan support as we had three sellouts. There was a lot of red and black in the stands today and some tailgating going on in the parking lot before the game.”
On the pitching…
“C.J. Smith gave us a good start and ran into some trouble in the fifth and freshman Jonathan Cannon came in was able to throw three pitches for strikes and went the rest of the way for another win, keeping them off the scoreboard.”
Player Perspective
Freshman RHP Jonathan Cannon
On picking up the series sweep today…
“Coach Stricklin talked at the beginning of the series and the beginning of the year, ‘Good teams win series and great teams sweep,’ and that’s what we proved today. We are a great team and can compete with anybody.”
On his play during game:
“When it was 4-3, and I came in my defense did a heck of a job behind me. Then coming in and getting those runs just makes it so much easier on the pitcher. The defense did a terrific job behind me after those last couple innings, and Buddy Floyd making that final play was just the icing on the cake.”
Sophomore CF Ben Anderson
On picking up the series sweep today…
“We didn’t want them to feel like they were the better team at the end of the season or give them any hope that they were better than us. We kind of took it too them all three games and showed why we are the best team in the state.”
On how well the team played this weekend:
“I think this is the best weekend we have played by far. The pitchers threw it well. I mean we expect that all year. We have a really good pitching staff. Our lineup is finding their stride and having really good at-bats. We are going to be a really tough lineup to throw to.”
Up Next:
The Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday, March 3 for a matchup against Georgia Southern at Foley Field at 5 p.m. and on Wednesday March 4 at SRP Park in N. Augusta, S.C. The series will conclude on March 11.