ATHENS - The University of Georgia baseball team split a Sunday doubleheader with Princeton at Foley Field to win the four-game series three to one.

Georgia (5-2) claimed game one of Sunday's action 12-7 while the Tigers rallied past the Bulldogs 12-11 to avoid a sweep.

"It always leaves a bad taste in your mouth when you lose the last one," Georgia's Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Scott Stricklin said. "We didn't play well enough to win game four. It is disappointing, but we have to learn from it. We have got some young kids out on the mound that are going to be really good for us. They just have to grow from it and learn from it."

Game One: Georgia 12-7

Back-to-back three run innings boosted the Bulldogs past the Tigers 12-7 in a scheduled seven-inning affair.

Two home runs and three doubles fueled Georgia's offense as junior Corey Collins went two-for-four at the plate and tied his career-high with four RBI. Junior Charlie Goldstein got the first start of the day for Georgia and pitched 2.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Sophomore Chandler Marsh (1-0) came in relief in the fourth inning and got the win. Senior Dalton Rhadans pitched the final three innings for the save, allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts. Princeton's (1-3) Andrew D'Alessio (0-1) was credited with the loss, allowing 11 runs on nine hits with four walks over 4.2 innings.

Princeton took a lead in the first with one run. The Bulldogs answered back in the bottom of the frame as Collins sent his third home run of the season to left center and scored graduate Connor Tate and redshirt freshman Charlie Condon to make it 3-1.

The Tigers tied it in the third with a two-run double, but a two-run home run blasted to right field by junior Parks Harber gave Georgia back the advantage, 5-3.

Three Tiger runs gave Princeton a one-run lead, 6-5, in the fourth. With sophomore Dwight Allen II on second, graduate Mason LaPlante reached on an error by the catcher and set up a Ben Anderson single to score Allen, knotting the score at six. A single from right field from Tate scored LaPlante and Anderson as Georgia built a two-run lead, 8-6.

A double from graduate Will David with two outs and an intentional walk of sophomore Cole Wagner put two runners on base in the fifth. A two-run double to the left field wall from Allen extended the Bulldogs' lead. With Allen and LaPlante on base, Anderson singled to left field and scored Allen to give Georgia an 11-6 advantage.

A solo home run from Princeton came in the top of the sixth as the Tigers continued to trail by four runs. With freshman Justin Thomas in to pinch run for Condon, who was hit by pitch, Collins sent a double to center field to score Thomas and give Georgia its final runs.

Game Two: Princeton 12-11

A four-run eighth inning pushed Princeton past Georgia, 12-11, in the final game of the series. The Tigers slugged four home runs including a pair by Scot Bandura.

"The positive side is that you have to turn that page, and we still scored 11 runs," Collins said. "It is always time to get better. I don't know how many we left on base, but we still scored 11 runs. As long as we keep getting better. We have a lot of veterans. There are still some positives you have to look at because we still won three out of four. We are never satisfied, but there are still positives to look at."

Georgia has homered in every contest this season. Junior Fernando Gonzalez picked up the first home run for the Bulldogs in the first inning. Junior Sebastian Murillo launched his first career home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Senior Nolan Crisp started for Georgia and provided four innings. He allowed one run on three hits with two strikeouts. Freshman Blake Gillespie (0-1) was credited with the loss after throwing 1.2 innings and allowing four runs on four hits. Princeton's Jacob Faulkner (1-0) notched the win, pitching the final four innings and allowing four runs on four hits with two strikeouts.

Three runs in the first started the Bulldogs' offensive run. With Tate and Harber on base, a sacrifice fly from Condon scored Tate to put Georgia on the board. Gonzalez stepped to the plate next and cranked his first home run of the season to left field to score Harber for a 3-0 Bulldog lead. With Anderson and LaPlante on second and third, Tate hit a double to center field to extend the lead. The Tigers go on the board with a solo home run in the fourth. Anderson blasted his 16th career triple and was sent to home plate on a single from Allen to center field for a 6-1 lead.

Princeton erupted for five runs in the fifth to knot the game at 6-all. A sacrifice fly from David with the bases loaded in the bottom of the frame gave the Bulldogs a one-run advantage, 7-6. The teams exchanged runs in the sixth and the Bulldogs reclaimed the lead on a pair of Tiger miscues. However, Princeton pushed across five runs ove the final two inning to build a 12-9 lead. Murillo's blast pulled Georgia within two but the Tigers hung on for their first win.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs return to Foley Field on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. when they play host to Presbyterian College.