5/23/19 8:30pm
2019 SEC Tournament: UGA Advances to Semifinals With Win vs Arkansas
Cover Photo: Greg Poole/Bulldawg Illustrated
By. Andrew Rodberg (twitter.com/404thebeat)
HOOVER, Alabama — Riding their first SEC Tournament win since 2011, the Dawgs gave themselves a fourth round bye with a semifinal matchup lurking ahead!
In the second game of the 2019 SEC Tournament for the Dawgs, they sent out Cole Wilcox to face Arkansas’ Isaiah Campbell. Campbell came into the afternoon with a 2.50 ERA while only allowing opposing hitters a .167 batting average. With Arkansas and UGA, 2 of the top 8 teams in the nation, neither offense could get anything going in the first. UGA threatened in the bottom of the second (bases loaded) but couldn’t get a run across.
Wilcox got flustered in the 3rd, after a double, walk and allowed Arkansas to score off a wild pitch. Wilcox then struck out his next batter to keep the score 1-0 in favor of Arkansas. More of the same came for the Dawgs as they put runners in scoring position but couldn’t get on the scoreboard (5 base-runners stranded through 2 innings).
Campbell worked 5 innings and helped keep the Razorbacks on top with a 1 run lead through 5. Arkansas then turned to Kole Ramage to work the sixth inning. Campbell finished his outing with (5 IP, 2H, 3BB, 3K’s). Ramage worked a clean 1,2,3 inning and the Dawgs kept Wilcox in the game. Wilcox came out in the top of the seventh and couldn’t finish the inning. After getting one out, he was pulled and Ryan Webb was called to close out the seventh. Wilcox ended his outing with (6.1 IP, 3H, 1R, 4BB, 5K’s).
With Webb inheriting two base-runners and one out, he forced a ground ball that was turned for a double play to end the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, the Dawgs tied the game up at 1-1 after a lead off single by Cam Shepherd and a pinch hit double by Connor Tate. The Dawgs were then silenced with a fly out by Riley King to end the seventh. In the eight, the Dawgs stayed with Webb who worked a clean inning courtesy of a “SC Top 10 play” catch by Riley King.
In the bottom of the 8th, Arkansas looked to Jacob Kostyshock, who gave up a leadoff double to Aaron Schunk (to give the Dawgs a runner in scoring position with no outs). A ground out by LJ Talley allowed Schunk to get to third base with one out. A strike-out of John Cable and an intentional walk of Cam Shepherd, sent Patrick Sullivan to the plate. Sullivan earned himself a bloop double on a 2-2 count to give Georgia a 3-1 lead!
Following the 2-run 8th inning, the Dawgs decided to keep Ryan Webb on the mound. Webb struck out the first batter, forced a groundout and gave up a single to end his outing Webb earned the win while working (2.1 IP, 4H, 3K’s) Aaron Schunk came in with one on and 2 outs for a save opportunity. Schunk gave up a single to put runners on 1st and 3rd to make the game a little more dicey. Schunk worked a full count to Nesbitt and struck him out for the victory!
The Dawgs now have a day off on Friday and will look ahead to a semifinal matchup vs the winner of the Arkansas/Ole Miss game (starting tomorrow at 4:00pm).
The winner will face UGA on Saturday at 1:00pm.
Game will be broadcasted on SECNetwork.
404thebeat.com 