ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia split a doubleheader with visiting Charleston Southern Saturday at Foley Field as the Bulldogs posted a 15-0 win in game one while the Bucs held on for a 5-4 win in game two.
Georgia (12-4) claimed the series two games to one over the Bucs (6-10) who avoided a sweep after dropping the opener Friday and then were one-hit in the first game Saturday. The Bulldogs were able to run-rule CSU in seven innings as graduate Connor Tate tied a school record by hitting three home runs in his first three at bats to give him six for the year. Due to inclement weather forecasted for Sunday, the teams played a doubleheader Saturday to complete the series.
“Game one, Liam Sullivan gave us a great start, and the offense was really clicking from all cylinders with Connor Tate hitting three home runs,” Georgia's Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Scott Stricklin said. “We really could not have played much better in game one. In game two, we talked to them about it after game one, ‘you have to turn the page. It is 0-0.’ They had their good bullpen arms waiting. We knew if they got a lead, and Kaleb Hill gets in, it is going to be a real challenge. He is really good. Hats off to them. They played really well in the finale. They made a lot of really good defensive plays. Fernando Gonzalez hits a ball in the gap, and they run it down. They just made every single play. It is unfortunate. You never want to lose a game. You win a series, but we have got to finish. That is the disappointing part.”
The Bulldogs will return to Foley Field on Tuesday when they play host to Wofford. First pitch will be at 5 p.m. The game will be aired on SEC Network +.
Game One: Georgia 15-0
A six-run first inning gave the Bulldogs a boost past Charleston Southern (6-10). Tate became the ninth Bulldog in school history to register three home runs in a game and the first do it in three consecutive at bats since Keegan McGovern against Charlotte in 2018. Tate’s hitting streak was extended to 20 games with a solo blast in the first. Also of note, redshirt freshman Charlie Condon went 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs. Junior Garrett Spikes blasted two hits during his three at bats to plate four runners, tying his career high RBI.
Four additional runs gave Georgia a 10-0 lead in the second. Junior lefty Liam Sullivan (3-0) got the start and the win, working 5.0 innings without a hit and six strikeouts. Junior Zach Devito came in relief in the sixth to pitch an inning, allowing no hits. Charleston Southern’s Evan Truitt (0-3) took the loss, tossing 3.0 innings, allowing 12 runs on 11 hits with four walks. The Bucs broke up the no-hit bid with one out in the seventh as Michael Gibson delivered a single off Luke Wagner. Georgia added five additional runs to their lead over the next four innings to win 15-0.
Game Two: CSU 5-4
The Buccaneers outlasted the Bulldogs in the second game of the day, 5-4.
Senior Nolan Crisp (1-2) got the start for Georgia, pitching 2.0 innings and allowing four runs on three hits with three strikeouts. Bulldog freshman Matthew Hoskins tied his career high with five strikeouts over 2.2 innings. Charleston Southern’s Zac Robinson (2-1) got the win after throwing 3.0 innings, allowing only one run on one hit. Kaleb Hill (1) notched a save, tossing three innings and allowing one run on one hit with four strikeouts.
The Buccaneers took an early two-run lead in the first. Tate knocked a single to tally his hit streak to 21 games. Condon stepped into the box next and cranked his seventh homer of the season, a team high, and extended his hit streak to 15 games to tie the game, 2-2.
Charleston Southern added three more runs to the board, 5-2. Junior Josh Stinson slammed his first career home run in the bottom of the fifth, becoming the 13th Bulldog to hit a home run this season, to put the Bulldogs within two runs. Graduate Mason LaPlante blasted his second triple of the season and scored graduate Will David in the seventh as the Bulldogs pulled to within one but Hill preserved the win for the Bucs.
