ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia junior catcher Bryce Massanari became a father on Thursday and drove in the go-ahead run Friday to help the fifth-ranked Bulldogs to a 5-4 win over No. 25 Ole Miss at Foley Field.
Massanari and his wife Lauren became parents Thursday as she gave birth to a girl they named Marley. In the fifth inning on Friday, Massanari delivered a two-out, run-scoring single to put Georgia ahead 5-4. Sophomore Dean Weaver and senior All-America closer Joshua Fields blanked the Rebels over the final 3.2 innings to secure the win for junior Trevor Holder (7-2). Georgia’s pitchers tied a season-high with 13 strikeouts and Fields notched his SEC-leading 13th save. The Bulldogs improve to 30-14-1 overall and an SEC-best 16-5-1 while Ole Miss drops to 30-18, 11-11 SEC.
Second baseman Zach Miller gave Ole Miss a 1-0 lead in the second inning when he connected for his first home run of the year. Georgia put runners at the corners with one out and Lance Lynn struck out Joey Lewis. However, Matt Cerione kept the inning going with a two-run double to the gap in left center. Then, Michael Demperio followed with a run-scoring single to put the Bulldogs in front 3-1. Georgia junior shortstop Gordon Beckham smashed his NCAA-leading 21st home run in the third to make it 4-1. However the Rebels closed the gap to 4-3 with a pair of runs in the fourth.
Ole Miss tied the game 4-4 in the top of the fifth on a solo home run by Fuller Smith, his sixth of the year. Massanari answered with his clutch RBI-single in the fifth for his 15th two-out RBI of the year. With one out in the sixth and runners at the corners, Holder was lifted in favor of sophomore Dean Weaver. Holder scattered four runs on eight hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. Weaver tied a season-high with five strikeouts over 2.2 innings and allowed just one hit. Fields came on in the ninth and added to his SEC and Georgia record with his 36th career save. Lynn took the loss for Ole Miss, falling to 6-2. He allowed five runs but only two were earned in 6.1 innings.
“It was a big night for us, and we got back to doing what we do best, that is, pitch and play defense and have good at bats and timely hitting,” said Georgia coach David Perno. “We did a nice job with two outs, and our pitchers got a lot of strikeouts.”
The series continues Saturday with first pitch slated for 3:05 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised live by ESPNU. Georgia will start junior right-hander Stephen Dodson (5-2, 3.99 ERA) while the Rebels will counter with freshman left-hander Drew Pomeranz (4-1, 3.12 ERA).
VANDERBILT DEFEATS TENNESSEE 8-5
KNOXVILLE -- David Macias had four hits and three RBI and Ryan Flaherty added a three-run homer in the top of the first to lead Vanderbilt to an 8-5 win over Tennessee Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Commodores improved to 32-13 overall and 12-9 in Southeastern Conference play, while the Volunteers fell to 25-21 and 11-11 in league action.
Macias finished with a 4-for-4 night at the plate with two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI. He walked in his final at-bat as he was trying for a career-high five hits.
Sophomore ace Mike Minor (5-3) was cruising through the game, carrying a two-hit shutout into the eighth before tiring. He ended up giving up five runs, all in the final two innings, on seven hits in 8.2 innings of work with five strikeouts and two walks.
"It's nice to win the first game because you get the upper hand,” said Minor. “Even if you lose tomorrow, you can still win the series. The pressure is on them and we have all the confidence going into tomorrow."
Ryan Flaherty’s three-run homer in the first staked the Commodores to an early 3-0 lead. David Macias led off the game with a single and moved to second when Dominic de la Osa was hit by a pitch by UT starter Nick Hernandez (1-4). Pedro Alvarez then grounded into a fielder’s choice eliminating de la Osa at second, before Flaherty responded with his 12th homer of the year. It was a towering shot, over the scoreboard in right and into the parking lot behind the outfield wall.
The Dores added another run in the third on an RBI grounder by Alvarez and another in the fourth on a RBI double by Macias to extend the lead to 5-0.
VU added three more runs in the sixth to break the game open. Steven Liddle had a RBI double and Macias added a two-run double, his fourth hit of the night, to make it 8-0.
P.J. Polk broke up Mike Minor’s shutout bid with a solo homer in the eighth. It was his third homer of the year. Two outs later Cody Liles hit a two-run homer to left to make it 8-3. It was his sixth homer of the year.
Jarred Frazier’s two-out, two-run double knocked Minor out of the game in the ninth. Brett Jacobson got pinch-hitter Shawn Griffin (UT’s leading home run hitter with 11) to ground out to him to end the game and pick up his third save of the year.
"I swung the bat pretty well tonight,” said Macias of his four-hit effort. It was good to see Flash (Flaherty) get that big hit in the first. Mikie (Minor) pitched really well and Jacobson came in and shut the door."
Shea Robin and Steven Liddle each had two hits to help lead the Commodore attack, while P.J. Polk led UT with two hits of his own.
The Commodores and Volunteers will play the second game of the three-game set tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. CT. VU will send Caleb Cotham (6-3, 3.77 ERA) to the mound, while UT will counter with freshman southpaw Bryan Morgado (5-2, 3.20 ERA). The game will be televised regionally on Fox Sports Net.
DAYTON PITCHES AUBURN BASEBALL TO 11-4 WIN OVER MISSISSIPPI STATE
AUBURN -- Auburn redshirt freshman Grant Dayton struck out a career-high 12 batters over seven innings to lead the Tigers to an 11-4 victory over Mississippi State in the series opener at Plainsman Park Friday. The southpaw scattered four hits allowing four runs, only one of which was earned, while running his record to 7-1 on the season.
Dayton’s 12 strikeouts were the most by an Auburn pitcher since March 21, 2002 when Eric Brandon fanned 12 batters in a perfect game against Murray State.
“It all starts on the mound and Grant Dayton was the story tonight,” Auburn head coach Tom Slater said. “Grant’s got great deception. When he’s locating down in the zone and popping the ball it and out like he was tonight, he’s tough to beat.”
A Huntsville, Ala., native, Dayton improved his SEC record to 6-1, equaling the most league wins by Auburn pitcher since Hayden Gliemmo in 1998.
The Tigers, which improved to 6-2 in SEC openers this season, moved to 25-22 overall, 9-13 in the SEC. Mississippi State dropped to 18-27 overall and 6-16 in league play.
Auburn broke open a 1-1 game plating four runs in the fourth inning, two in the fifth and another in the sixth to take a 8-1 lead.
Catcher Ryan Jenkins hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left field in the fourth inning, giving Auburn a 5-1 advantage. Jenkins’ two-out homer came after Joseph Sanders and Brian Fletcher score earlier in the frame.
Sanders walked to lead off the fourth and Fletcher doubled before Matt Hall’s sac fly plated Sanders. Justin Hargett followed with a single up the middle scoring Fletcher.
Sanders and David Cunningham each had RBI singles in the two-run fifth, while Mike Biannuci’s two-out double to left center in the sixth scored Hargett. Hargett led off the sixth with a single to right field.
Mike Bianucci hit his ninth home run of the season, a towering two-run blast to left field in the eighth.
Chad Crosswhite (2-4) took the loss for the Bulldogs after allowing seven runs, six earned, in four innings. Crosswhite surrendered five hits while fanning two and walking three.
Lee Swindle gave up four runs, one earned in four innings of relief for Mississippi State.
Evan Crawford closed the game tossing two scoreless innings for Auburn.
Ryan Collins hit a three-run home run to right field for Mississippi State in the seventh. Collins’ third home run of the season came with two outs after Tyler Moore singled and Grant Hogue reached on a fielding error at third base by Cunningham.
The second game of the three-game set is Saturday at 6 p.m. CT at Plainsman Park. A pair of sophomore righties will face off as Auburn’s Taylor Thompson (2-4, 6.65 ERA) will square off against Mississippi State’s Ricky Bowen (2-5, 7.38 ERA).
No. 22 Florida Takes Opener At No. 12 South Carolina, 9-3
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Florida sophomore right-hander Billy Bullock (Balm, Fla.) (3-3) matched a career high with seven strikeouts over 5.1 innings in relief to propel the 22nd-ranked Gators (28-16/13-9 SEC) to a 9-3 victory over No. 12 South Carolina (31-15/11-11 SEC) in front of 4,861 fans on Friday night at Sarge Frye Field. UF’s third-straight win marked its first triumph of the year in the initial game of a road weekend series and improved Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad to 8-8 against ranked teams.
Bullock notched his first win since March 28 against LSU by limiting the Gamecocks to two runs after taking over for freshman Tommy Toledo (Tampa, Fla.) and was supported by a UF offense that received five multiple-hit outings and totaled 12 hits. Sophomore Cole Figueroa (Tallahassee, Fla.) and senior Brandon McArthur (Seffner, Fla.) were a combined 5-for-8 with five RBI and junior Avery Barnes (High Springs, Fla.) was 2-for-4 with three runs and a pair of stolen bases from the leadoff spot.
An RBI single in the first inning by Figueroa off junior Mike Cisco (5-3) gave the visitors a quick lead. Barnes opened the game with an infield single and moved into scoring position with his team-leading 20th theft. With Barnes running, Figueroa sliced a 3-2 offering through the left side to help UF draw first blood.
The Gamecocks tied the game in the bottom of the stanza on an infield single by junior James Darnell. Freshman Whit Merrifield and junior Justin Smoak delivered back-to-back one-out singles off Toledo for runners on the corners. After Darnell’s hit knotted the game at a run apiece, Toledo caught senior Phil Disher looking on strikes and had senior Harley Lail fly out to left field.
UF plated three runs on six hits in the third for a 4-1 advantage. Sophomore Buddy Munroe (Miami, Fla.) stroked a single down the right-field line and the Gators successfully executed a hit-and-run as Barnes notched his second hit for runners at first and third with one out. Freshman Josh Adams (Jacksonville, Fla.) drove in Munroe with a grounder and Figueroa collected his second RBI of the night with a flare into left field. McArthur legged out a hit for a pair of runners aboard and sophomore Matt den Dekker (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) roped a single into right field to score Figueroa. Senior Jon Townsend (London, Ky.) singled up the middle to load the sacks before Cisco had senior Bryson Barber (Pensacola, Fla.) pop up to short to end the frame.
After Cisco hit freshman Riley Cooper (Clearwater, Fla.) to begin the fourth, he was replaced by junior Craig Thomas. Over three innings, the righty surrendered eight hits and four runs and did not register a strikeout. USC freshman Scott Wingo drew a walk with two down from Toledo (3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K, R) in the home part of the inning, prompting a pitching change. Bullock entered with a bang, striking out junior Reese Havens.
In a bizarre fifth inning, the Gators used an RBI single by Townsend to build a 5-1 lead. Figueroa was plunked to start things off, McArthur followed with his second hit and den Dekker reached on a bunt to load the bases. However, Carolina coach Ray Tanner came out of the dugout and argued the call, which the umpires surprisingly overturned following a spirited discussion. After the play was changed to a sacrifice, Townsend stroked a single into left field for a four-run advantage.
McArthur ripped a two-out, two-run single in the sixth for a 7-1 margin. Munroe earned a free pass from Thomas (2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R) and was sacrificed into scoring position by Barnes. Senior Sean Wideberg came out of the bullpen and had Adams fly out, pushing Munroe to third. Figueroa was walked intentionally and McArthur made USC pay by ripping a two-run single for a six-run cushion.
Wingo led off the botthe gap to 7-2. It was the first hit allowed by Bullock on the night. Figueroa’s third RBI plated Barnes to yield an 8-2 advantage in the eighth. Barnes had walked, stole second and was sacrificed to third by Adams. Munroe delivered a two-out RBI single off freshman reliever Justin Hopper in the ninth for a seven-run Gator cushion, then Haven later connected on his 13th dinger to finalize the 9-3 margin.
Florida did not commit any errors for the fifth game in a row and held a 12-7 advantage in hits. Munroe and Townsend chipped in with two hits apiece and Cooper matched a school record by being hit three times for the visitors. In a matchup of left-handers, UF will send junior Stephen Locke (Tampa, Fla.) (3-2, 3.21) to the hill tomorrow at 4 p.m. against Gamecock Will Atwood (4-2, 4.22).
Alabama Wins Series Opener, 11-7; Moves into First-Place in SEC West
Fayetteville, Ark. -- Alabama junior right fielder Kent Matthes drove in a career-high five runs to lead the Crimson Tide to an 11-7 series-opening win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in front of 8,041 fans at Baum Stadium Friday night.
With the win, Alabama moves into a first-place tie with Ole Miss in the SEC Western Division standings with eight games to play. The Crimson Tide and Rebels are 11-11 in SEC play after Ole Miss' 5-4 loss at Georgia on Friday. Alabama also owns the tie-breaker over Ole Miss by virtue of its season win in Tuscaloosa in March.
Matthes hit a three-run home run to cap a six-run fourth inning that gave Alabama a 7-4 lead. He added an RBI single in a three-run eighth inning as the Tide took an 11-7 lead.
Freshman Jimmy Nelson (3-2) picked up his second in four days and earned his first career SEC win as he allowed one run and five hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Nelson allowed a leadoff double and a walk in the ninth and turned the game over to sophomore Austin Graham, who struck out the side for his third save.
"Nelson came in and did a good job," Alabama head coach Jim Wells said. "He gave us a chance to win the game and did not make us have use up our bullpen. That was the key."
Alabama (27-21, 11-11 SEC), winners of its last four games, scored six runs in the fourth inning to take a 7-4 lead and never relinquished the lead.
Down 4-1 in the fourth, the Crimson Tide scored six runs on five hits with two outs to take a 7-4 lead. Junior Kyle Moore led off the inning with a single and he later scored on a two-out single by shortstop Josh Rutledge, who extended his hitting streak to 24 straight games. Freshman Ross Wilson followed with an RBI double to score Rutledge and chased Dallas Keuchel, who was charged with four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Sophomore Brandon May reached on an error by Tschepikow at second base as Wilson scored the tying run from third base. Avila followed with a single to right center field and Matthes capped the inning with a three-run home run into the Arkansas bullpen to give the Tide a 7-4 lead. It was Matthes' eighth home run of the season.
Travis Hill (2-2), the second of four Arkansas pitchers, took the loss after he allowed four runs and three hits in one-third of an inning.
Alabama was 9 for 20 and scored eight of its 11 runs with two outs in the opener.
UA starter Miers Quigley held the lead but could not escape the bottom of the fourth inning as the Razorbacks scored two more runs to close the gap to 7-6. Andrew Darr had a lead off walk and Ryan Cisterna followed with a double to left to put runners at second and third with no outs. Scott Lyons' ground out scored Darr and Sean Jones' sacrifice fly brought home Cisterna to make it 7-6.
Tscehpikow's single up the middle chased Quigley with two outs. Nelson came in and allowed a base hit to Forsythe and a two-out walk to Coon before striking out Smalling to end the inning as Arkansas left the bases loaded. Quigley was charged with six runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Alabama upped its lead to 8-6 in the fifth as Moore led off the inning with his first career triple and scored on sophomore Jake Smith's sacrifice fly to left.
The Razorbacks made it an 8-7 game on pinch-hitter Chase Leavitt's two-out infield single that scored pinch-hitter Jeff Nutt in the bottom of the fifth, but got no closer off Nelson.
After escaping a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the top of the second inning, Arkansas strung together three straight hits in the bottom of the second inning to grab a 2-0 lead. Casey Coon, Tim Smalling and Brett Eibner led off the inning with consecutive singles to take a 1-0 lead as Eibner drove in Coon with the first run of the game. Smalling later scored on Ryan Cisterna's sacrifice fly to center field.
The Tide answered with a run in the top of the third inning when Matthes lined a two-out single up the middle to scored sophomore Brandon May to cut the lead to 2-1. May reached on a two-out double to right center and junior Alex Avila drew a four-pitch walk to set up Matthes' two-out hit.
Arkansas (27-19, 9-12 SEC) extended the lead to 4-1 on Logan Forsythe's two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning. Ben Tschepikow, who drew a walk, scored on the play. It was Fortythe's fifth home run of the season.
Alabama and Arkansas will meet in game two of this series at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday.
No. 16 UK vs. LSU Postponed, DH Saturday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Due to heavy rains engulfing the central Kentucky area, the series opener between the 16th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats and the LSU Tigers has been postponed, with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday. First pitch Saturday at Cliff Hagan Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. ET.