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Olivia Sayer
Georgia senior Corey Collins (6) reacts to home run during a NCAA college baseball game between Alabama and Georgia at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia, on Sunday, March 24, 2024. Georgia won 10-5. (Photo/Mady Mertens: @MadyMertensPhotography)
Georgia baseball did not back down in Knoxville Friday evening, as it defeated No. 5 Tennessee 16-2 in seven innings at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. It was the first time the Volunteers had been run-ruled at home since the SEC implemented the rule last season.
“Obviously, there’s a line in the sand,” Henry Hunter said when previewing Georgia’s series at No. 5 Tennessee. “But we don’t want to back down from anybody.”
Georgia was not intimidated by the Volunteers, who boasted the third-best ERA in college baseball. Tennessee’s starter AJ Causey entered the contest with a 5-0 record and 1.91 ERA. The Bulldogs tagged him for eight runs in 2.2 innings.
Reigning SEC Player of the Week, Corey Collins, picked up where he left off, hammering two home runs and six RBI’s. Kolby Branch, who was the hero in Georgia’s SEC home opener, finished 3-3, with 3 RBI.
The Bulldogs plated the bulk of their runs in the top of the second. After beginning the inning with a flyout, the next three batters reached bags to load the bases for Branch. Although he was hitting .400 with the bases loaded, Tennessee still attacked the strike zone.
On the third pitch of the at-bat, Branch drilled a fastball over the heart of the plate to left-center field for a base-clearing double. One batter later, freshman Trey King notched his first career hit to put runners on first and third with Collins stepping into the batter’s box.
It only took one pitch for Collins to deposit a ball at the batter’s eye in center field, giving the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead and had those singing Rocky Top stunned.
Collins and potential No. 1 overall pick Charlie Condon have become a headache for opposing pitchers, who have to decide which player to go after.
“What’s a pitching coach going to do?” head coach Wes Johnson said of attacking Georgia’s 1-2 punch. “You’re going to try to get Corey [or] you’re going to try to get Charlie, which one? And right now they’re going right after Corey, he’s getting his fastball. And when he’s getting it, he’s not missing it.”
The depth of Georgia’s lineup is one of its most prominent strengths. It allows the team to trust one another and take what it is given, rather than play hero ball at the plate.
“We spend a lot of time with each other, and everybody really knows each other’s approach,” Collins said. “So I think that’s one of the biggest things is we trust each other, every guy that can go in there, and who they put in there at the time.”
Every Bulldog that started the game got a hit, as the bats silenced the 5,757 fans in attendance. However, while the offense once again stole the show, Charlie Goldstein had a night to remember on the mound.
Tennessee came into the series leading the SEC in batting average, runs per game and hits. The Volunteers were second in the conference for home runs, trailing Georgia by six.
Goldstein limited the normally impeccable offense to two runs with no homers in six innings. It was the longest outing by a Bulldog starter this season, and Goldstein completed it in 92 pitches.
“Charlie was really good and threw the ball exceptionally well,” Johnson said. “You hear me talk about it all the time, we have to pound the strike zone. It doesn’t always mean we’re going to win, doesn’t mean the ball is going to stay in the yard, but we’ve got to get in the strike zone.”
Following Goldstein’s outing, Brian Zeldin finished the job for Georgia with one scoreless inning. Zeldin usually would not be used with a 14-run lead, but Johnson said he had already gotten up throughout the game.
The Bulldogs will look to take the series from Tennessee on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. The matchup will pit Leighton Finley against Tennessee’s Drew Beam.