Georgia sweeps final non-conference series as Bulldogs blitz Northern Colorado
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Baseball wrapped up its final non-conference series of the season on Sunday, doing so with a win over Northern Colorado to finish off the sweep. The Bulldogs beat the Bears all four times they matched up on the weekend and have won eight in a row with SEC play looming, sitting at 16-1 overall, the best start to a season in program history for the modern-era.
Friday
Charlie Condon and Dylan Goldstein hit a pair of home runs including a grand slam from Goldstein, Georgia’s third in as many games. With a double to go along with his two deep shots, Goldstein finished 3-for-3 with 6 RBI, all part of an 11-1 run-rule victory.
Georgia put up four in in both the fifth and sixth innings as starter Charlie Goldstein gave the Bulldogs 5.0 innings of work on the mound to pick up his third win in as many appearances.
Saturday
The Bulldog bats didn’t cool off come Saturday. In fact, they heated up even more. In game one of the doubleheader, the Dawgs hit six home runs including a pair each from Slate Alford and Corey Collins, both of whom hit grand slams in the 19-1 UGA win. For Alford, it was his second of the week, hitting one previously against Georgia Southern on Tuesday. Tre Phelps added a pair of RBI, but it was the combined 13 of Alford and Collins that stole the show. Meanwhile on the mound, Leighton Finley went 5.0 innings without a walk.
Then, in game two, it was Daniel Padysak that picked up his first win since transferring from Charleston Southern. While Georgia didn’t bring the run rule into play, 14 runs still was plenty of support for the pitching that saw more of a bullpen game. Seven Bulldogs toed the rubber, giving up just a combined five hits while striking out 10.
Sebastian Murillo had the only Georgia home run in the second half of the doubleheader as part of a 3-hit, 3-RBI performance for him. Clayton Chadwick also had multiple runs batted in while Charlie Condon and Fernando Gonzalez each recorded a pair of hits.
Sunday
Fear not, the grand slams weren’t gone after not having one in Game Two on Saturday. Fernando Gonzalez broke things open even more than they already were. After a Dillon Carter walk brought home a run in the second and was followed by a 2-RBI double from Charlie Condon, Gonzalez went deep to left field for four more, making it 7-0 by the time the damage was done. It was Georgia’s sixth grand slam in as many games, not hitting one in the second half of the Saturday doubleheader but recording two to get things started earlier that day.
Dylan Goldstein recorded a pair of RBI with one in the third and another in the sixth, hitting a solo home run for the second of the two. That made it 9-1 on the way to an 11-1 run-rule win with Goldstein delivering the game-winning RBI as he drew a walk to bring Carter home.
What’s Next?
Georgia’s got an interesting midweek matchup with Iowa on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes entered the season as a top-25 team and made an NCAA Tournament appearance last year, falling in a regional final. So far this season, they are 7-7 with a Sunday result still pending. UGA’s only loss to date this year came at the hands of a team out of the Big Ten when Michigan State came to town for a midweek outing.
First pitch on Tuesday is set for 5:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network+ and will lead the Bulldogs into their SEC opener next weekend. Three of Georgia’s first four SEC series come on the road. That starts with a trip to Kentucky on Friday and is accompanied by three-game sets at No. 8 Tennessee and Mississippi State. In the middle of it all is a home date against No. 15 Alabama as well as some intriguing midweek matchups that will send UGA into the month of April hoping to be in the hunt for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
