UGA Baseball Slam Homers | Dawgs Win 20-4 in NCAA Baseball Opener
ATHENS - No. 7 Georgia Baseball defeated Binghamton, 20-4, in the first game of the NCAA Athens Regional in front of a sold-out Foley Field crowd on Friday afternoon.
Fast Facts:
Friday’s game marked the first time that Tre Phelps, Ryland Zaborowski and Robbie Burnett have all been in the starting lineup for the Bulldogs since April 26th when the Bulldogs hosted Oklahoma.
Leighton Finley (3-2) got the start on the mound for Georgia, his 14th of the season. His 6.2 and seven-strikeout performance earned him the win. Binghamton’s Brady Bouchard (3-5) suffered the loss after giving up eight runs on six hits in 2.1 innings.
Tre Phelps (4-5, 5 RBI, 2 HR) extended his hit streak to 12 games, with a two-run homer to left in the first. Phelps also added to his home run total with a solo blast in the sixth, his 10th of the year.
Daniel Jackson (2-3, 6 RBI, 2 HR, 2 BB) batted in six runs in the win, a new career high for the sophomore. Friday’s game marked the third time this season that Jackson hit two home runs in a game, both three-run knocks coming in the first and third innings.
Kolby Branch (4-4, 2 RBI) knocked in his 40th and 41st runs of the year, with an RBI double in the fourth and an RBI single in the fifth.
Graduate Nolan McCarthy (2-5, 3 RBI, HR) added to the home run parade, with a solo blast in the eighth.
Key Quotes:
Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson
On the win today…
“I thought Leighton [Finley] came out today and really set the tone in the first. He was attacking the strike zone. When guys can set the tone like that, it calms down everyone in the dugout. Then it never hurts to put up five runs in the first. It starts with a couple of good swings. Obviously, Daniel [Jackson] had a really good day. I don’t want it to be overshadowed. Tre [Phelps] had four hits, and Kolby [Branch] had four hits. I think the tone was set by Leighton right there in the first inning.”
Up Next: Georgia (43-15) will take on the winner of game two of the Athens Regional between Oklahoma State and Duke on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+ and the Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network. Binghamton (29-25) will take on the loser of game two in an elimination game on Saturday at noon.