3/24/19 4:00pm
#5 Georgia Completes Series Win vs #10 LSU Behind Timely Home-Runs
Cover Photo: @BaseballUGA/Twitter
By. Andrew Rodberg
In the third and final game of a three game series with #10 LSU, the Dawgs sent out their best arm in Tony Locey, to take on LSU’s Eric Walker. Tony, normally a Friday starter, was moved to the Sunday spot with hopes of delivering the Dawgs with a huge series win.
Tony Locey, who so far in 2019 is one of the best starting pitchers, has a 2.17 ERA in his five starts and has held his opponents to a .117 batting average. (SEC best)
Locey known for his fastball, that will blow by you at 97 mph, showed exactly why he is one of the most dangerous starting pitchers to face in the SEC. With a noon first pitch, Locey got his afternoon started with a clean first inning. Tony then had some difficulty with his control as he issued three walks in his first four innings.
As for LSU’s Eric Walker, a sophomore who got injured and missed the ending of the 2018 season, looked to repeat his success from his freshman year. (He was a 2017 Freshman All-SEC player) On Sunday afternoon, Walker looked decent, but fell into some trouble in the third inning. Walker gave up two consecutive singles, an intentional walk and then a grand-slam to UGA’s John Cable to allow the Dawgs to build a 4-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth inning, Locey couldn’t find the strike-zone, as he gave up two walks and a wild pitch that allowed LSU to get on the scoreboard with a sacrifice-fly. (4-1) The Dawgs continued to ride Locey but ultimately had to end his afternoon in the sixth inning. (Locey 5.1 IP, 2 hits, 5 walks, 1 K and 1 ER)
The scoring subsided for a few innings until the seventh, eighth and ninth, as the home-runs started piling up for both teams. Home-runs by LSU’s Josh Smith and Daniel Cabrera cut into Georgia’s once comfortable lead. With those two home-runs the Dawgs led by a single run going into the bottom of the eighth. Just as the Tigers we beginning to strong together a comeback, freshman Randon Jernigan robbed a 2-run homer off the top of the wall in left field to end the threat. (Look for it on SC Top 10, should definitely be there)
With momentum building in LSU’s favor, the Dawgs turned to the bottom half of their lineup in Chaney Rogers, Austin Biggar and Tucker Maxwell. Rogers was able to draw a walk and Biggar made LSU pay with a 2-run shot to right field to give the Dawgs a 3-run lead. Tucker Maxwell then came to the plate and did what he’s done all year…deliver. A solo shot to center-field gave the Dawgs their cushion once more.
The Dawgs turned to Aaron Schunk to close out the game with the final 5 outs. Schunk looked good for the first two but fell into some trouble in the top of the ninth. Two singles and two walks allowed the Tigers to put another two runs on the board and give Schunk his first earned runs of 2019. Unfortunately for the Tigers, their efforts fell short and the Dawgs completed the series winning 9-7.
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