NORTH AUGUSTA, SC – The Georgia Southern baseball team dropped a neutral-site game to the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday night at SRP Park in North Augusta, SC, 17-11. The two teams will reconvene at J.I. Clements Stadium on Wednesday, March 8.
Georgia Southern (7-5) would get on the board first with a two-RBI single by Sam Blancato in the top of the first inning. JD Kaiser would make it 3-0 with an RBI-double that plated Blancato. The Bulldogs (9-3) responded with a run of their own in bottom of the first inning, but the Eagles held onto a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the second inning, UGA would take the lead thanks to three runs scored.
The Eagles would take the lead back in the top of the third inning thanks to a sac fly by Kaiser, a bases loaded walk by Blake Evans, and an RBI-single by J.C. Peacher. However, Georgia would take the lead back in the bottom of the third inning with four runs scored of their own and would not relinquish the lead. Georgia would go on the score two more in the bottom of the fifth inning and five in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Eagles would score four in the top of the eighth inning to close the gap to 15-11, but Georgia's pitching held the Eagles from threatening any further. Georgia would score two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to cushion the lead.
Starter Jaylen Paden pitched for two innings and gave up two hits, five runs, and fanned three Bulldogs batters.
