Georgia scores late to beat Mississippi State, take series
By David Wasson
Published:
The fifth-ranked Georgia baseball team locked up a huge SEC series against fourth-ranked Mississippi State on Friday, earning a 3-1 road victory in front of 14,348 at Dudy Noble Field.
Georgia (26-6 overall, 9-2 SEC) took Game 1 of the weekend series 10-9 on Friday night and can sweep the series with a victory Saturday (11 am ET, SEC Network+). Mississippi State (25-6, 7-4) fell to 18-2 at home with Friday’s loss.
Georgia won its sixth straight game Friday with outstanding pitching, allowing only a first-inning groundout run and striking out eight Mississippi State hitters while scattering five hits.
Trailing 1-0 through six innings, Georgia finally got to Mississippi State starter Tomas Valincius (who came into the night with a 6-0 record and an 0.91 ERA) in the seventh. Michael O’Shaughnessy blasted his seventh home run of the year, a solo shot to tie it at 1-1, and was the first run Valincius had allowed in 26 SEC innings.
Valincius departed later in the seventh after striking out struck 10 Georgia hitters, but the visitors kept up the long-ball presence in the eighth – as Ryan Winn led off the inning with his second homer of the season to make it 2-1. Kolby Branch lifted a sacrifice fly for Georgia’s final run in the ninth.
Georgia reliever Paul Farley (3-0) earned the victory, with Matt Scott picking up his first save. Valincius (6-1) took the loss.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
