UGA Baseball on the Brink After Loss to Sooners; Rematch with Horns Looms
OMAHA – Oklahoma edged third-seeded Georgia 4-3 Monday to advance to the semifinals of the College World Series in front of a crowd of 24,445 at Charles Schwab Stadium.
The Bulldogs (52-13) now face sixth-ranked Texas in an elimination game Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. The Longhorns will be the home team Tuesday. The winner of the Georgia/Texas game must beat Oklahoma (40-22) on Wednesday and again on Thursday to advance to the CWS Finals.
Fast Facts
Graduate Caden Aoki allowed three runs in the first and eventually went the distance, providing eight innings on eight hits with no walks and six strikeouts but fell to 9-2.
Left fielder Kenny Ishikawa cut the deficit to 3-1 with a two-out, solo home run in the fourth. It was his third home run of the year. OU got the run back in the bottom of the frame with a solo home run by Brendan Brock for a 4-1 lead.
Senior first baseman Brennan Hudson blasted his 22nd home run to lead off the fifth to trim OU's lead to 4-2.
Junior catcher Daniel Jackson registered his team-leading 32nd home run with one out in the eighth to make it 4-3. It was the team's 178th home run of the year.
Tonight marked the first time in CWS history that brothers squared off against each other in a game as Georgia featured senior starting shortstop Kolby Branch while OU's lineup had sophomore Kyle Branch starting at second base.
The Bulldogs lost for the first time since May 16, snapping a nine-game winning streak.
Key Quotes
Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson
On the game
"I thought it was a really good ball game tonight. We had some opportunities to get back into the game, and we didn't cash in on those. I thought Caden (Aoki) was awesome tonight. We had a hiccup there in the first and for him to finish the game for us was massive as you look forward in saving your bullpen. We've got to clean up a few things, and we'll be ready to go tomorrow night."
Caden Aoki, RHP, Gr.
On facing elimination Tuesday now for the first time in the postseason and the mindset
"It's the same process. It's the same mindset that we've had all season. If we change something now, that's when it all goes bad. We're going to stick to our approach and stick to what we do. We're going to stick with the courage we have. This team has the most courage in the country, and we're going to come back strong. It's another opportunity to play with our brothers and we're excited about it."
Up Next
Georgia (52-13) will face Texas in an elimination game Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be televised by ESPN and be available on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
