Georgia outslugs Oklahoma 10-9 at Foley Field in Athens

Tenth-ranked Georgia evened its SEC series with No. 14 Oklahoma in dramatic fashion Friday evening, holding on for a gritty 10-9 victory in front of 3,106 fans at Foley Field.

The Bulldogs built a 9-2 lead behind a power surge and a strong start from junior pitcher Kolten Smith, then survived a late Oklahoma rally to notch their 34th win of the season.

“We came out today and let’s be real, we did not play all that well at the end of the day,” said Georgia head coach Wes Johnson. “But we are starting to do some things better—things that we were doing earlier in the year. You never apologize for a win because in this league they are all hard. This was gritty and it was hard.”

Senior third baseman Slate Alford set the tone in the bottom of the first with a solo home run, extending his on-base streak to 28 games and putting Georgia on the board early. The Bulldogs broke the game open in the second inning, plating five runs off Oklahoma starter Cade Crossland.

Georgia added to its lead in the fifth when Tre Phelps crushed a three-run homer to left field, giving the Bulldogs a commanding 9-2 advantage. It was Phelps’ second home run in as many games and his first multi-homer stretch since early March.

“It has been a rough couple of weeks, but that is the game of baseball,” said Alford. “We have a lot of confidence in ourselves. Just taking your walks and not chasing is huge. Today was a new day and just fighting—just doing what I can do.”

Smith dazzled early, tossing 4.2 innings and holding the Sooners hitless through the first four frames. He struck out five and allowed just two runs on two hits.

Crossland, meanwhile, gave up seven runs on three hits across four innings, walking three and striking out four. He was lifted after allowing a walk to Alford to lead off the fifth—who later scored on Phelps’ blast.

Oklahoma clawed its way back into the game with a late offensive push, but junior right-hander Zach Harris entered in the eighth and stopped the rally cold. With the tying and go-ahead runs on base, Harris recorded the final out of the inning and returned in the ninth to close the door.

“Last year he started a super-regional game for us, so the limelight or the spotlight should not be too big for Zach,” Johnson said. “He has been really hungry lately… When you get that combination of a guy who is hungry and you throw them into the fire and they perform, then you start to trust them.”

Harris, who improved to 3-0, embraced the high-pressure moment.

“My mentality was just attack the guy,” Harris said. “That’s kind of been my thing, especially as I’ve grown—just let the chips fall where they may and control what I can control.”

With the win, Georgia moves to 34-11 overall and 11-9 in SEC play. Oklahoma falls to 29-13 and also sits at 11-9 in the conference.

The series finale is scheduled for Saturday at noon at Foley Field. It will be Georgia’s annual Lettermen Day, with a special recognition of the 1990 NCAA Championship team. More than 20 former players are expected to attend.