ATHENS — It wasn’t the season opener the Georgia Bulldogs envisioned.
Unseasonably warm temperatures plummeted just in time for first pitch against visiting Jacksonville State on Friday. Then the Gamecocks proceeded to dispense with Georgia starter Jaden Woods and stake themselves to a 5-0 lead.
But the Bulldogs found out early they have some grit and determination. They fought back to tie the score at 5-5 through eight innings, only to see Jacksonville State rally with a three-run ninth for an 8-5 victory.
Like last season, when it gave up an SEC-worst 288 walks, it was pitching that betrayed Georgia. The Bulldogs issued eight walks and hit four batters with pitches.
“Too many free passes,” said Georgia coach Scott Stricklin, who’s entering his 10th season with the Bulldogs. “If you give up too many of those, it’s going to catch up to you, and that’s what happened. We were one out from getting back into the dugout in the ninth, and we had a hit-by-pitch and a walk. It just happened too often.”
Luke Wagner hit two batters in a scoreless eighth and the first batter he faced in the ninth. After a strikeout, the Bulldogs went to Chandler Marsh, expected to fill a closer role this season. He immediately issued a walk. After striking out the next batter, Marsh gave up a double to right-center field to Mason Maners and a two-out, run-scoring single to right field.
The Bulldogs brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth. But Connor Tate and Parks Harber each struck out. On the mound for the Gamecocks was Reid Fagerstrom, a junior right-hander from Newnan.
After trailing the entire game, Harber had tied the score at 5-5 in the seventh inning when he fought off an inside 3-2 pitch that bounced down the third-base line for a dink double that drove in Tate from second base.
The Bulldogs came close to going ahead in the next at-bat. But freshman Charlie Condon’s line drive grounder up the the middle was snagged in a diving leap by Jacksonville second baseman Javon Hernandez, who popped up in time to throw out Condon at first base.
“Offensively, I didn’t think we were bad, but we definitely could have had some better at-bats in big situations,” said center fielder Ben Anderson, a sixth-year senior who led the Bulldogs with two hits, two runs and two RBIs. “Overall, we just need to play better. We’re the better team. We showed some fight and got back in the game after getting down early, but bottom line, we’ve just got to be better.”
At 2 p.m. Saturday, junior left-hander Liam Sullivan will get the start as the Bulldogs try to even the three-game series.
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