Georgia baseball hands No. 4 Mississippi State first 3 home losses of season
Georgia baseball aced the first of three consecutive, difficult conference series tests with a sweep of No. 4 Mississippi State over the weekend.
Georgia (27-6, 10-2 SEC) moved up one spot to No. 4 in D1Baseball’s rankings after the impressive showing, the first time the Bulldogs have swept Mississippi State in Starkville since 2004. It was Georgia’s first sweep of an SEC road series against a top-five team, according to records dating to 1990.
In Saturday’s win, which completed the sweep, infielder Michael O’Shaughnessy hit a three-run home run to give Georgia an 8-5 victory in the 10th inning. The Bulldogs hit three home runs that afternoon, with infielder Rylan Lujo delivering a three-run homer in the fifth to give Georgia a 4-3 lead and infielder Brennan Hudson immediately following with a solo shot.
O’Shaughnessy had another home run in Friday’s 3-1 win, this one a solo blast that tied the game at 1-1 in the seventh.
“This was amazing, it shows our team is a family,” O’Shaughnessy said after the series sweep. “My home run (Friday) was big, but it was because everyone worked and battled for us to get in that position, and the same is true (Saturday). To beat them both times like that, it shows we had nothing to lose, and we came in and played loose and free.
“This team is unbelievable. This place is awesome, the top place I’ve ever played. We made a statement that we’re the real deal.”
Infielder Ryan Wynn added another home run in the eighth inning Friday, and the Bulldogs got their final run on a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
In the first game of the series, Georgia dealt Mississippi State its first home loss, 10-9, with junior pitcher Joey Volchko giving up two runs on eight hits, issuing one walk and striking out three to improve to 6-0.
Georgia will host Presbyterian on Tuesday before Florida visits for a three-game series beginning Friday.
About the Author
Sarah Spencer, a Georgia native and UGA alum, serves as a general assignment and features writer for sports. She previously covered the Hawks from 2019-22.
