Daniel Jackson’s two home runs and six RBIs was enough to push No. 11 Georgia baseball ahead in a dominant 14-3 series finale victory over Queens.
Mother Nature once again had a say in the game’s start time. After delaying Friday’s series opener and Game Two of Saturday’s doubleheader, Sunday’s original start time was subsequently pushed back to 3 p.m. to accommodate for local showers.
Georgia turned to Jackson in the first inning to get things started. After third baseman Tre Phelps was hit by a pitch, Jackson blasted a no-doubt shot that smacked off the scoreboard in right field. The long ball marked Jackson’s fourth of the series and 13th of the season.
“He [has] stayed in his approach big time,” shortstop Kolby Branch said. “Last year, you’d see him kind of strike out on some marginal pitches. And then this year, he is taking those. So that’s a big deal when you get into bigger leverage counts.”
The Royals quickly rebounded in the following frame, responding with a two-run blast of their own. After allowing a leadoff double to Queens sophomore Lenox Lively, Anibal Rivera jumped on a Matt Scott fastball over the plate, sending it into the trees in left field. Queens would end the day for Scott, who threw only two innings, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out four.
After Jackson’s blast in the opening frame, Georgia continued to put runs on the board in the second. After Royals’ starter Jackson Gowan allowed a single to Cole Johnson and walked Brennan Hudson, Phelps roped a single to left field, scoring Johnson, and giving the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead.
Caleb Jameson would get the early call out of the bullpen for Georgia in the third. Jameson was quick to make an impact on the game, fanning all three batters faced. The game would soon turn into a bullpen game for the Bulldogs as head coach Wes Johnson threw junior Brad Pruett on the mound, who punched out two in the fourth.
Gowan found himself in more trouble in the fourth. After a clean third inning, Gowan surrendered two solo homers to the hands of Branch, his fourth of the series, and Hudson, his third of the series, giving Georgia a 5-2 lead.
In an attempt to right the ship for the Royals, junior Kensen Green was summoned for the Royals in the fifth. Green found himself in a jam right away. After Henry Allen grounded out into a double play, Green hit two batters, threw a wild pitch, and walked Branch to load the bases. Queens would then turn to the bullpen for the third time, sending Avery Booker out to the mound for damage control. Booker forced a pop-up off the bat of Rylan Lujo to end the threat.
Despite Booker escaping the fifth, he would again run into trouble in the sixth, as Georgia kept pouring on the offense. Booker would give up a single and a walk before Allen cranked a 402-foot three-run shot to left field, giving the Bulldogs an 8-2 lead.
The seventh would be no easier for Queens, as Georgia loaded the bases and scored two runs on five straight walks. Jackson would follow suit with a mercy-rule verdict walk-off grand slam to end the contest with a final score of 14-3.
SEC play begins on Friday, as Tennessee is set to take a trip to face the Bulldogs in Athens under the lights. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.