Times are tough for the Diamond Dawgs and skipper David Perno. The UGA baseball team has lost eight straight games and was swept in a three-game SEC series for the second time in seven days, this time around by the Alabama Crimson Tide.
In Game 1 of the three-game series, Georgia freshman Sean McLaughlin took the mound but didn’t have the success he had in previous outings. McLaughlin hurled five innings, striking out four and giving up four runs while recording the loss.
The Dawgs have had issues getting off to a fast start in games this season but managed to get out of the gates quickly on Friday. Kyle Farmer brought home Nelson Ward for the first run of the game with a line-drive single but Georgia could not capitalize on the early lead.
Bama responded in the fourth inning with three runs and another three in the fifth. The Dawgs attempted a rally in the eighth frame but ultimately fell short, losing 6-3 in the series opener.
SAME RESULT
In the second game of the three-game series, Georgia lost by the identical score from Friday’s game. The Dawgs were careless in the field and at the plate, registering three errors on defense and scoring just one run in two bases-loaded situations throughout the course of the game. This issue has plagued the Bulldogs all season.
Redshirt junior Patrick Boling didn’t bring his best stuff to the mound on Saturday, walking four batters and fanning one while serving up two runs in 5.1 innings of work. Boling has pitched well in 2013 but owns a 1-3 record due to a lack of run support.
“We made some mistakes again today, and what’s concerning me is we’re leaving too many guys on base and our starters are walking too many,” said Perno. “Alabama does a good job of two-strike hitting and has made some great plays defensively in the series. Some of their hits are finding holes too, but we’ve had our opportunities the past two days. I think Sean (McLaughlin) and Patrick (Boling) have tried to go for the strikeout and Alabama battles at the plate. I was encouraged how Jarrett Brown and Luke Crumley came in out of the bullpen.”
COMPLETING THE SWEEP
It was fitting that Alabama completed the three-game series sweep with a 3-0 shutout victory against the Diamond Dawgs Sunday.
Alabama starting pitcher Spencer Turnbill improved to 2-1 in a dominating performance, wreaking havoc on the Dawgs for seven innings of shutout baseball, including tossing five strikeouts while only being touched for two hits.
Georgia senior Bryan Benzor started for the first time in his career, pitching a career-high four innings while holding the Crimson Tide to one run in the loss.
The Diamond Dawgs had their chances to put some runs on the board in the seventh inning when Cody Sheedy approached the plate with the bases loaded; however, the team yet again failed to execute, leaving three more runners stranded.
“We’re going to have to tweak the order a little bit,” said Perno. “It’s not necessarily the guys we have, we may just need to spread some things out, jazz it up a little bit. We are definitely capable of producing more runs than we have these first two SEC series.”
The Dawgs will return to the diamond on Tuesday when the team welcomes the Clemson Tigers (15-8) to Foley Field.
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