Bulldogs snap four-game losing streak, defeat Kennesaw State
Bulldogs snap four-game losing streak, defeat Kennesaw State
After a rough week, Georgia (16-13, 1-8 SEC) snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating Kennesaw State 6-4 in front of a sold-out crowd at Stillwell Stadium on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs’ bats got hot early and the bullpen helped them secure the win over the Owls (13-14).
Georgia freshman relief pitcher Leighton Finley got the win on the mound. The right-hander threw 4.0 innings, only giving up one run on four hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
"Leighton Finley was really good,” UGA head coach Scott Stricklin said. “The plan was for him to go two innings, and he was efficient so he went back out there for the fourth inning and then the fifth inning too. Dalton (Rhadans) and Chandler (Marsh) had good stuff and got it to (Collin) Caldwell, who made it interesting but found a way to get it done.”
The Bulldogs took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning because of some Owls’ miscues.
Georgia loaded the bases on a double by Ben Anderson and Connor Tate was hit by a pitch before Charlie Condon (3-for-5) laced a single to right, extending his on-base streak to 28 games. Corey Collins then drew a one-out walk as Fernando Gonzalez and Cole Wagner reached on a pair of fielder’s choice hits, giving the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.
Senior Nolan Crisp started on the mound for Georgia but KSU would respond in the first. The Owls got a pair of runs on three hits in their half of the frame to make it a 3-2 contest.
The Bulldogs answered with another three-run outburst in the second inning to chase KSU starter Brayden Eidson following a two-run triple by Collins. It was the second career triple for Collins, making it a 6-2 game. In the bottom of the second, Finley was brought in to replace Crisp, who pitched a full inning and gave up two earned runs on three hits.
In the sixth with the Bulldogs holding a 6-3 lead, Georgia turned to Rhadans. The graduate transfer pitched 1.2 innings before being lifted for Marsh with a runner at third base and two outs in the bottom of the seventh. KSU left fielder Nick Colina made it 6-4 with an RBI single and then Marsh struck out Donovan Cash to send it to the eighth. The Owls threatened to put two on via a hit-by-pitch and a two-out walk before Marsh came back to register three strikeouts to maintain Georgia’s two-run lead.
In the top of the ninth, the Bulldogs brought in Caldwell, who walked two and struck out two Kennesaw State hitters as part of a scoreless frame for his first save this year and the third of his career. Eidson got the loss, allowing six runs on five hits in 1.1 innings.
“A lot of negative thoughts going through your head when things aren’t going your way, and our kids fought through that tonight,” Stricklin said following Georgia’s win over the Owls, via DawgNation.com. “The pizza will actually have some taste to it tonight.”
The Bulldogs return to Foley Field on Friday for the start of a Southeastern Conference series with No. 10 Kentucky (25-3, 8-1 SEC). The first pitch will be at 6 p.m. (SECN+) and the game will be available on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network. The Bulldogs are currently last in the SEC East standings with a 1-8 league record.