ATHENS — The 23rd-ranked Georgia Bulldogs completed a series sweep of 16th-ranked Florida with a 14-8 victory Saturday in front of a crowd of 3,696 at Foley Field.
"We talk about toughness, and it showed today because it was like two different games as we got down 6-1 and then we came back late with an eight-run inning," said Georgia coach Scott Stricklin. "Nolan Crisp was really good and gave us a solid start and we didn’t play well behind him. We made three errors, and then we were able to overcome it. An example of that would be Garrett Blaylock. He should have made a catch, and it cost us two runs. He didn’t get upset, he came right back and hit a three-run home run. You have to be able to bounce back, and he did."
Crisp, who began his career at Florida in 2019 before transferring to Georgia in 2021, took the mound for his first start as a Bulldog after 30 career relief appearances wearing the red and black. He provided a career-high 4.1 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts for a no decision.
Georgia (22-6, 6-3 SEC) chased Gator starter Garrett Milchin in the first inning, scoring two runs on three hits with a pair of wild pitches. Brandon Neely came on and went five innings and surrendered just a run when the Gators struck for five runs in the fifth for a 6-1 advantage. Georgia got a run back in the bottom of the frame and then had its biggest outburst of the year, scoring eight runs in the seventh.
The eight runs was highlighted by towering home runs from Blaylock on an 0-2 count and sophomore catcher Fernando Gonzalez. The pair of home runs both came off the bat at 104 miles per hour and traveled 393 feet and 374 feet, respectively. It was the first home runs of the season for the Bulldog pair.
Florida (18-10, 3-6 SEC) reliever Tyler Nesbitt allowed six runs on six hits in the loss to fall to 0-1. Georgia sophomore Will Pearson notched the win with two scoreless frames to even his record to 1-1. Sophomore Jaden Woods collected his second save of the season, striking out three over the final 1.2 innings.
Graduate Connor Tate put the icing on the cake in the eighth inning with a three-run shot to push the Georgia lead to 14-8.
Following the sweep over the Gators, Georgia will travel to Clemson, S.C. to face the Tigers. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m.
Quick Hits
--Georgia posted its second straight sweep of Florida at Foley Field, also doing it in 2019. It was the Bulldogs first SEC home sweep since doing it against Alabama in 2019.
--Georgia’s eight-run inning was the most this season, eclipsing a seven-run frame against Miss. State in the SEC opener on March 18.
--Sophomore Parks Harber now has more RBIs (23) than he does hits (21).
--Graduate Connor Tate extended his hitting streak to nine games with a first-inning double. He tied his career high with five RBI on the day.
--Graduate Cole Tate had his fifth three-hit game of the season, which leads the team.
--Senior Ben Anderson extended his on-base streak to 26 games following a first-inning walk.
