ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia's bats came alive on Saturday at Foley Field in a doubleheader sweep of Alabama.
The Bulldogs smashed seven home runs, including three by All-America Charlie Condon, to beat the Tide 9-5 and 6-5.
In game one, sophomore Kolby Branch hit a walk-off grand slam, while Condon provided the go-ahead blast in game two. The Bulldogs have hit an NCAA-leading 70 home runs on the year, and Condon ranks among the national leaders with a .529 batting average, 17 home runs, and a 1.259 slugging percentage. The Bulldogs improved to 20-4 overall and 2-3 in the SEC, while Alabama fell to 18-5 (2-3 SEC).
“Sometimes when you get into these situations, and you need to play 18 innings, it’s hard,” said Georgia coach Wes Johnson. “You have to be able to stay focused. You got to be able to stay with your plan. You can’t give away at-bats, and it all started on the mound today. When you have Superman (Condon) on your team, you always feel good. Charlie had a phenomenal day, but Corey (Collins) and Slate (Alford) did a phenomenal job forcing the pitching staff to pitch to Charlie. We still have things to work on. We need to execute more pitches, but today was a great step for our four guys that threw today.”
Game 1: Georgia Beats Alabama 9-5 On Walk-Off Grand Slam
Georgia erased a 1-0 deficit in the first by sending nine men to the plate and scoring four runs on two swings. Senior Corey Collins led off the second straight game with a home run. Then, graduate Dylan Goldstein smashed a three-run home run to make it 4-1. It was the eighth home of the year for both Bulldogs. Alabama trimmed it to 4-2 with a run in the third and had runners at the corners with one out when Goldstein and the Bulldogs maintained their two-run advantage. The Crimson Tide took a 5-4 lead in the fourth after a two-run triple by Gage Miller and a run-scoring single by TJ McCants. Georgia tied it up in the bottom of the frame courtesy of a solo shot by All-America Charlie Condon. It was his 15th home run, and it traveled 441 feet with an exit velocity of 114 miles per hour.
With the game still tied and one out in the ninth, Evan Sleight doubled to right center, and Ian Petruz looked to score. However, the throw home to Henry Hunter by Branch from Condon would’ve got him, so he looked to retreat to third. He didn’t make it as the Bulldogs seized momentum. In the bottom of the ninth, Georgia loaded the bases on a leadoff walk to Sebastian Murillo. Hunter doubled to left, and a pinch hit Clayton Chadwick to set the stage for Branch. It was Branch’s second grand slam this season and fourth of his career. It marked the first walk-off slam by the Bulldogs since 2004, when Bobby Felmy did it against Georgia Southern in the 10th inning,
Graduate Brian Zeldin pitched a career-high four shutout innings of relief to move the Bulldogs to 2-0, while Aidan Moza got the loss to fall to 2-1.
Game 2: Georgia Sweeps Doubleheader With 6-5 Win
Alabama’s Gage Miller led off the game with a home run, his 10th of the year. Then, Justin Lebron did the same in the second inning, and Miller struck again in the third for a 3-0 edge. The Bulldogs responded with a pair of home runs in the bottom of the frame. Condon launched a two-run blast to right field for his 16th of the season. Slate Alford followed with a solo home run to tie the contest. It was Alford’s eighth of the year. Alabama designated hitter Kade Snell broke a 3-3 tie when he led off the seventh with his second home run of the season. Georgia answered as Collins reached on a one-out single and then the Crimson Tide turned to closer Alton Davis II to face Condon. On an 0-2 pitch, the All-American crushed his third home run of the day and 17th of the year, a 442-foot blast over the batter’s eye to put the Bulldogs in front 5-4. Georgia added an insurance run in the ninth, which proved to be big as the Tide managed to push a run across in the ninth for the final. In front of a crowd of 3,604, the Bulldogs claimed their first doubleheader sweep of a top-10 team since doing it last year to No. 10 Kentucky.
Sophomore Kolten Smith pitched the final 3.2 innings in relief of Leighton Finley to improve to 2-1. Davis dropped to 1-1.
Georgia concludes the series with Alabama on Sunday at Foley Field. First pitch will be at 1:02 p.m., and the game will be available on SECN+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
