By chewing off little pieces, Campbell was able to gain an early advantage over No. 8 Georgia in their NCAA Athens Regional opener Saturday afternoon.
But by taking a huge fourth-inning bite, the No. 8 Bulldogs were able to crush the Fighting Camels uprising and cruise to a 18-5 victory, setting up a Saturday night game between Georgia and Troy, which defeated Duke 6-0 on Friday.
In the fourth inning, it all came together for Georgia (38-19) just as it was falling apart for Campbell (35-25), which scored single runs in the first, second and third innings to lead.
While Tucker Bradley’s no-out grand slam – Georgia’s record-setting seventh of the season -- was the big blow in the seven-run fourth, the Bulldogs – who sent 12 men to the plate -- also scored on a walk, a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch, displaying an ability to put runs on the board without benefit of hits.
Georgia added another three runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run home run by Adam Sasser, his 10th of the season. And the Bulldogs weren’t finished with the long ball, as Keegan McGovern drilled a homer, his team-leading 16th of the season, in the bottom of the seventh.
McGovern’s home run was Georgia’s fourth of the day, a UGA season record. The Bulldogs – who posted four multi-run innings and 15 hits against the Fighting Camels -- have recorded six three-homer games this season. Georgia also was issued 11 walks, and four Bulldogs were hit by Camel pitcher.
Tony Locey (7-2) who came on in relief of starter Chase Adkins in the fourth inning, earned the victory, working four innings with three hits, two runs, two walks and two strikeouts.
