Georgia Bulldogs open SEC Tournament with win over LSU

Going in to their Tuesday evening SEC Tournament opener against perennial power LSU, the Georgia Bulldogs had their backs against the wall. The Bulldogs are in need of a win or two in Hoover to clinch a regional berth in the NCAA Tournament.

There’s an old saying that desperate teams are the most dangerous come tournament time. The Bulldogs are desperate and hungry for wins, and they got one in the SEC tourney opener, 4-1 over LSU.

“Our pitchers were unbelievable tonight,” Georgia head coach Scott Stricklin said. “Luke Wagner gave us exactly what we needed in a quality start. To get through the top of their order is really difficult. Their one-through-four hitters are as good as you’ll see in the country. That was our biggest concern was navigating that, and that’s why you saw Ben Harris come in in the eighth. We felt like the close was really in the eighth because that part of the order was up. He made it interesting, and he gutted it out.

“Then, Jack Gowen came in and got his first save. I can’t say enough about Jaden Woods. He was outstanding. It was all about the pitching today, and we made the plays when we needed too, and Chaney Rogers came through with a big, big hit. This is a huge win for our program.”

The Tigers looked to be in business early as Georgia freshman pitcher Wagner gave up back-to-back singles to first baseman Tre Morgan and freshman right fielder Dylan Crews. Wagner limited the damage to one run by inducing a double play.

The Bulldogs (31-23) came to bat in the bottom of the first looking to put runs on the board. The Georgia offense came to life early with a leadoff double from centerfielder Ben Anderson. After a Cole Tate single, North Gwinnett grad Corey Collins walked to load the bases. Georgia tied the game at one apiece by virtue of a fielder’s choice. The Bulldog offense kept rolling with a bases clearing double from senior left fielder Rogers giving Georgia a 4-1 lead after the first inning.

After surrendering a lead off base hit, Wagner responded with back-to-back strikeouts to keep LSU off the board in the second inning. Both starting pitchers settled in as the score remained 4-1 Georgia through three innings.

After back-to-back LSU singles in the top of the fourth inning, Georgia turned to left-hander Jaden Woods out of the bullpen. Woods escaped the jam unscathed with the help of a strikeout, throw-out double play to preserve the Georgia lead at three.

In the fifth inning, the Bulldog offense looked to be going strong again, as centerfielder Anderson led off the inning with his second lead off double of the night. Two strikeouts and a groundout left Anderson stranded, as the Bulldogs squandered the scoring opportunity.

Georgia freshman pitcher Jaden Woods continued to be great for the Bulldogs, retiring the LSU batters 1-2-3 in the sixth and seventh inning. Woods exited after 3 2/3 innings pitched with five strikeouts.

In the eighth inning, Georgia freshman Ben Harris escaped a bases-loaded jam to keep the Georgia lead at 4-1.

In the bottom of the eighth, Collins led off the inning with a single, but Georgia was once again unable to capitalize, and stranded runners at first and second.

Georgia turned to junior Jack Gowen to close. Gowen silenced the LSU bats and secured a 4-1 victory.

The Bulldogs now move on to the double elimination portion of the tournament to face the No. 1-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks, who will reportedly be without their star pitcher Kevin Kopps, Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Vasha Hunt