ATHENS, Ga. — It was Corey Collins's day to go yard as the Georgia baseball team completed the sweep of No. 8 Alabama, 10-5, on Sunday at Foley Field.
Collins capped a monster week with two more home runs and four RBI Sunday to lead Georgia's offensive production on Sunday. He batted .647 (11-for-17) with six home runs and 13 RBI in four games, helping the Bulldogs improve to 21-4 overall and 3-3 in the SEC. Alabama dropped to 18-5 and 2-3 in the SEC.
“After the Kentucky weekend, we had a great attitude at practice on Monday,” Collins said. “We had a great midweek game, and coach preaches moving on and being consistent. We really saw that this week. It’s great to get a sweep in the SEC.”
Georgia coach Wes Johnson said Collins has shown phenomenal plate discipline all season, including since moving to the leadoff spot in the order.
“When you have a guy like Corey hitting in front of Charlie Condon, good things happen," he said.
Collins led off a game with a home run for the third time this week. It was his ninth home run of the season. Alabama tied the game in the second on a run-scoring double by Will Hodo and looked to take the lead after putting runners at the corners with one out for the top of the order.
However, graduate Christian Mracna got Gage Miller, the SEC’s second-leading hitter, to pop out and then struck out TJ McCants after a spirited 10-pitch at bat. Georgia reclaimed a 2-1 lead when graduate Paul Toetz led off the second with his second home run. Mracna pitched around a leadoff double in the third to maintain the one-run advantage.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, graduate Dylan Goldstein connected for a two-run home run to make it 4-1 Bulldogs. It was his ninth home run this season.
In the fourth, Kolby Branch led off with a single, stole second and scored on a double by junior Henry Hunter for a 5-1 lead. Sebastian Murillo bunted Hunter to third and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Collins.
In the fifth, Alabama loaded the bases with two outs when Georgia lifted Mracna in favor of DJ Radtke. After falling behind Mason Swinney 2-0, the sophomore right-hander came back to strike him out to end the threat.
Collins added a sacrifice fly to score Hunter in the sixth for a 7-1 lead. Hunter had reached on a single, advanced to second on a balk, and made it to third with his first stolen base of the year. After an intentional walk to Charlie Condon, the Bulldogs executed a double steal, and Slate Alford delivered a two-out, two-run single to make it 9-1.
Alabama cut it to 9-4 in the seventh on a three-run home run by Kade Snell. Collins responded with his second home run of the day, a 354-foot blast to right for a 10-4 lead in the eighth. The Crimson Tide added a run in the ninth and loaded the bases before Georgia looked to graduate Brian Zeldin, who secured the final out for his fourth save. Mracna is now 3-1 on the year after Sunday’s win.
“Alabama is a really good team, and we’re good,” Johnson said. “This league is a ten-round fight. It’s so hard on the road to win. It was good to get back home, and when you’re home, it is so important to take care of business no matter who you’re playing. This series win is big. The challenge is to stay hungry in this league. If you think you’re full or satisfied, that’s when you can get swept. We have to stay hungry and continue to understand that we need to get better every day.”
Condon enjoyed a stellar week, batting .500 (8-for-16) with seven runs scored, four home runs and eight RBI. He also picked up his first two stolen bases of the season on Sunday.
Georgia returns to action Tuesday against Mercer at Foley Field. First pitch will be at 5:02 p.m.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2024/3/1234429/baseball-collins-rips-two-hrs-georgia-sweeps-no-8-alabama