ATHENS, Ga. ---The 11th-ranked
Georgia Bulldogs used a 14-hit attack and another fine start by junior
right-hander Stephen Dodson to cruise past ninth-ranked Kentucky 13-4 Saturday at Foley Field.
A crowd of 3,399 watched the Bulldogs (22-12, 11-3 SEC) win
their seventh straight SEC game while building a 9-0 lead through the first two
frames off Kentucky
starter Scott Green. The Wildcats (26-7, 6-6 SEC) made four errors on the day
which led to five unearned runs. Dodson improved to 5-1 as he allowed four runs
(two earned) with no walks and two strikeouts while Green dropped to 3-2. The
Wildcat right-hander surrendered nine runs (five earned) on eight hits. Tyler
Henry provided solid relief for Kentucky,
tossing the next five innings and allowing just a pair of runs on six hits.
Meanwhile, senior Nick Montgomery tossed two scoreless
innings for the Bulldogs as the bullpen extended their streak of not allowing
an earned run in the SEC in its last 38.1 innings, a span of 12 games. With the
win, Georgia
has now clinched all five of its SEC series this year.
“Whe we score early like that, we have a great chance to win
with the way our pitching has been including the bullpen,” said Georgia coach
David Perno. “We took advantage of some
mistakes they made and got some big hits with men on base. The top of the order
did a good job, and I was really proud of what Joey Lewis, Matt Cerione and
Lyle Allen did in chipping in from the bottom of the order too. We gave our
pitchers some breathing room today, and they were able to relax and that makes
them even better. I was proud of the way Stephen Dodson pitched because I knew
he had a lot on his mind.”
Dodson’s former high school teammate, Michael Hutts, a junior
pitcher at Georgia Tech, died Friday in Atlanta.
“It was tragic about Michael, he was a close friend, and I’ve never had to deal
with something like that,” said Dodson. “I have kept him in my prayers and I
thought of him throughout the game.”
Offensively, Georgia
got three-hit performances from seniors Ryan Peisel (3-for-5, 1 RBI) and Matt
Olson (3-for-4, 3R, 2 RBI) at the top of the lineup. After an intentional walk
in his first plate appearance, junior shortstop Gordon Beckham (1-for-3, 3 R, 2
BB) got to swing in the bat in the second inning and delivered a run-scoring
double as part of a four-run outburst. Sophomores Rich Poythress (2-for-3, HR,
2 RBI) and designated hitter Joey Lewis (2-for-4, RBI) also notched two hits
apiece.
The Wildcats got on the board in the fourth on a solo home
run by designated hitter Sawyer Carroll (3-for-3, 2 RBI). It was his ninth of
the year. Poythress answered with his eighth home run in the bottom of the
inning. UK
struck for three runs on two hits in the sixth with Carroll contributing an
RBI-double.
The series concludes Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 2
p.m.