Coming Soon to The Red & Black!
Olivia Sayer
Georgia junior Slate Alford (44) celebrates home run with graduate student Logan Jordan (17) during an NCAA college baseball game between Missouri and Georgia at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia, on Friday, April 12, 2024. Georgia lost 6-5. (Photo/Mady Mertens: @MadyMertensPhotography)
With the bases loaded and no outs, Georgia had another run-rule victory on its mind. Slate Alford, who was already hitting 2-for-4 with a home run, was at the plate. After working a full count, he sent a pitch to the right field bleachers for a grand slam. As Alford rounded the bases, he looked at Georgia’s dugout in celebration.
The excitement was warranted, as Alford’s career-high 8 RBI capped off a 17-6 offensive onslaught of Ole Miss on April 19 at Foley Field. His final hit set the record for most grand slams in a single season at Georgia, as the Bulldogs have blasted nine.
“I’m just glad we got the win,” Alford said. “We had a fun time out here.”
Since transferring from Mississippi State, Alford’s season has been filled with ups and downs. While his .324 batting average and 49 RBI are near the top of the Georgia leaderboard, situational hitting and defense have plagued him at times.
Against the Rebels, though, Alford’s situational hitting could not have been much better.
“I can’t say enough about Slate and his work ethic and what he does every day,” head coach Wes Johnson said. “This guy cares, obviously they all care, but he’s taking countless swings. Slate and Coach Coggin were even in that cage again this morning early, and then before we took batting practice.”
Although Georgia’s bats were the stars of the game, Ole Miss was the one that struck first. Two home runs in the first inning off of Leighton Finley gave the Bulldogs an early 3-0 deficit. Alford then singled home Georgia’s first run in the bottom of the first.
The bulk of the Bulldogs’ offensive prowess came in the bottom of the third, when Georgia scored eight runs. Trailing by one, Kolby Branch followed an Alford walk with a home run to the trees located in left-center field. After the Bulldogs flipped the scorecard over, Alford hit a three-run shot to put the exclamation point on the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, a single off the bat of Fernando Gonzalez gave Georgia an 11-6 lead. The hit also capped a career-high four hit performance for the Bulldogs’ catcher.
“Just trying to help the team,” Gonzalez said. “Ultimately if I can be a really good defensive catcher and if I can help the team with the bat as well, I think it’s going to put me out there in the lineup and win some more games.”
Both teams continued to tack on runs, until Alford cued the flashing red lights with his walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the eighth.