Sports

The #6 Georgia Bulldogs (25-15) will take on the Jacksonville St. Gamecocks (25-15) at Foley Field at 5pm. I’ll be here to follow all the action–if you have any questions, feel free to make a comment. UGA traveled to Jacksonville last Wednesday and was dealt a 9-7 lost. Georgia went 1-2 over the weekend down in Oxford against Ole Miss. There are a fair number of fans here today, but with 80 degree weather, and finals just around the corner, it probably won’t be that well attended. First pitch just minutes away. -Michael Terry

Starting Lineups

Jacksonville St. (25-15, 11-6 OVC)

LF, Todd Cunninghan
2b, Blake Segui
1b, Steven Leach
RF, Kyle Bluestein
CF, Daniel Adamson
3B, Sam Eberle
DH, Jake Welch
SS, Heath Wall
C, Spencer Brandes

Starting pitcher: Mitch Miller (0-1, 4.87 ERA)

Georgia (25-15, 14-7 SEC)

CF, Matt Cerione
LF, Johnathan Taylor
3b, Colby May
1b, Rich Poythress
C, Joey Lewis
DH, Chase Davidson
RF, Peter Verdin
SS, Levi Hyams
2b, David Thoms

Starting Pitcher: Cecil Tanner (3-0, 2.45 ERA)

Bottom 9th, JSU 16, UGA 8: Bill Henke has entered th game to pitch for JSU. Peter Verdin starts the inning by fouling out to Leach at first base. Demperio, in the next at bat, hits a pop-up a mile high to 2b Blake Senguin who records the second out of the inning. Starr flies out to deep center field to end the game. Obviously, not how the Dogs wanted to play with such an important series against Florida starting Friday night at 7pm. Final Score: Jacksonville St. 16, Georgia 8.

Top 9th, JSU 7, UGA 8: Well, this is it–JSU needs a run to have a chance to win. Dean Weaver seems a little out of it–he throws two pitches that hit the dirt before making it home. Andrew Edge draws a walk to put the go-ahead run at the plate. Heath Wall hits a grounder right to a crouching Colby May, but it jumps up over his glove. Edge advances to 3rd, and Wall stretches it into a double. Next batter, Brandes, hits a chopper to 1b, but the infield is playing in and the throw home is perfect to nab Edge for the second out. JSU has runners on the corners. Jay Davis enters the game to pinch run for Brandes at first. Todd Cunningham hits a ball deep to CF, but a fully-extended Zach Cone is unable to make the play. Davis and Wall score on the play–Cunningham advances to third. JSU keeps doing damage as Blake Seguin hits a liner down the right field line scoring Cunningham and ending Dean Weaver’s day. Jason Leaver enters the game for the Bulldogs. Bad has gone to worse for the dogs as Leaver plunks Leach to put JSU runners on 1st and 2nd. Worse goes to even worse on the next pitch when a passed ball allows both runners to advance into scoring position. Leaver intentionally walks Bluestein to load the bases. After a full count, Lever walks in Adamson to give JSU a 3-run lead. It just keeps getting worse–Lever plunks Eberle to give JSU another run, 12-8. Welch sends a liner right back up the middle that plates to more runs for the Gamecocks, 14-8.

Earl Daniels enters the game for Lever to pitch. Runners on the corners. Daniels walks Wall, then Jay Davis hits a blooper into right field allowing two runs to score. Cunningham grounds to second base, but reaches on a fielders choice when Jay Davis is tagged out–Two outs!

Daniels walks Seguin on five pitches. Finally, however, Leach pops out to shallow left field to end the inning. JSU 16, UGA 8.

Bottom 8th, JSU 7, UGA 8: Colby May pops out to short for the first out. Georgia is really in need of something right now. The momentum is still in JSU’s favor. Rich Poythress draws a 4-pitch walk. Massanari sends a shot to deep right field, but it is reeled in for the 2nd out. Christian Glisson enters the game for Adam Fuller, but goes down swinging to end the inning. JSU 7, UGA 8.

Top 8th, JSU 4, UGA 8: Michael Palazzone enters the game to pitch for UGA. Brandes singles to left, then Cunningham follows up with a double off the center field wall. JSU runners now occupy 2nd and 3rd. Blake Seguin hits a sacrifice fly to right which allows Brandes to score and Cunningham to move up to 3rd. Leach singled to right, allowing Cunningham to score. Bluestein fouls out to the catcher for the second out of the inning. Massanari made a nice catch right up against the net. After a wild pitch (Leach moved up to second), Perno brings in Dean Weaver to try to record the final four outs of the inning. Weaver’s first pitch is a line drive down the 1b line just inside the bag. Leach comes around to score making it a 8-7 game. Weaver gets Eberle looking on what was a very large strike zone to end the inning. JSU 7, UGA 8.

Bottom 7th, JSU 4, UGA 8: Kevin Elwell enters the game to pitch for the Gamecocks. It’s not long, 2 pitches to be exact, before he gets Starr to pop out to second base for the first out of the inning. Zach Cone hits what looks to be a fly ball to left field, but the ball carries and JSU LF Todd Cunningham brings back a homerun with a nice, leaping catch. Robbie O’Bryan enters the game to pinch hit for Johnathan Taylor. O’Bryan fail to get anything going and grounds out, 4-3. JSU 4, UGA 8, at the end of the inning.

Top 7th, JSU 3, UGA 8: First a few defensive changes for the Bulldogs: Demperio enters the game at 2b for Hyams, Starr moves to SS.  Justin Earls enters the game to pitch.

Earls starts the inning with a swinging-K. Sam Eberle grounds out to Colby May. A quick two out by the Dogs excites the fans still watching. Andrew Edge gives the JSU fans in attendance something to cheer about when he sends a homer over the right field wall to make it a four run game. Heath Wall ends the JSU momentum with a flyout to center field to end the inning. JSU 4, UGA 8.

Bottom 6th, JSU 3, UGA 8: On a 2-2 count, Massanari flies out to deep center field. Adam Fuller follows suit in the next at bat, except he flies out on the very first pitch. There is a small delay–it’s a good time to give a shout out to UGA Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams who are seeded 4th and 2nd, respectively, in the NCAA tournament. UGA will be hosting the first and second rounds which will start May 8th. Both teams are coming off national championships in 2008. Back to the action, Verdin draws the walk. Hyams ends the inning by flying out to left field. We’ll go to the 7th, JSU 3, UGA 8.

Top 6th, JSU 3, UGA 8: Seguin leads off the inning and grounds out on a 4-3. Leach singles to right, but Bluestein grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. Poythress’ foot was stepped on at first, but he makes his way off the field under his own power.

Bottom 5th, JSU 3, UGA 7: Thoms hits a weak, routine grounder to second, but it thrown out at first. Cerione hits a sharp grounder just to the left of second, and just under the glove of an extended SS Heath Wall. Cerione stretches the single into a hustle-double. Taylor flies out to left field for the 2nd out. Colby May fights an opposite field 2-out single off his hands to score a run and reach 1st. Poythress hits a ground out to 2b Blake Seguin who steps on second to end the inning. JSU 3, UGA 8.

Top 5th, JSU 3, UGA 7: Andrew Edge grounds out to SS. For the second out, Esmonde records a strike out whn he gets Heath Wall looking. Brandes gets a tw0-out hit off the right field wall. It looked like Fuller would have a play on it, but he backed off to avoid a huge collision with the wall. Cunningham ends the inning by flying out to center field.  JSU 3, UGA 7.

Bottom 4th, JSU 3, UGA 4: Cerione starts the inning with a hit right back up the middle. Taylor rips a single into right field two put runners on first and second. May puts down a SAC bunt to move Cerione and Taylor into scoring position. Poythress grounded out to 3b for the second out. Bryce Massanari enters the game to pinch hit for Joe Lewis and Walk to load up the bases. Adam Fuller enters the game for Chase Davidson. Fuller draws the bases loaded walk and Cerione walks in to give UGA a 5-3 lead. Peter Verdin hits a 2-out single to right field which scores two and advances Fuller to third. JSU makes a pitching change and brings in Chase Smith to pitch. Hyams flies out to left field to end the inning. At the end of the inning, JSU 3, UGA 7.

Top 4th, JSU 3, UGA 4: Seguin reaches on a third pitch strikeout in the dirt. Lewis made the difficult throw to first, but it was too late. Next batter, Leach, hits a line drive just over the glove of a reaching Colby May two put runners on 1st and second. Perno is coming to the mound to make a pitching change–RHP Steve Esmonde enters the game. McRee finishes the day with 2 K’s and 2 BB’s. He is accountable for the runners on 1st and 2nd. Bluestein hits into the ats Gamecock out of the afternoon with a weak bloop to Colby May. Adamson hits a fly to deep center field which is caught by Cerione, but Seguin advance to third on the play. The inning comes to an end when Eberle hits a chopper to Levi Hyams who steps on 2nd base for the third out. JSU 3, UGA 4.

Bottom 3rd, JSU 3, UGA 4: I was beginning to think that this game was going to go til 9 or 9:30, but the pace looks to be picking up. The Dawgs go down 1-2-3. Verdin pops out to first base on a fairly routine play. Hyams fouled out to SS Heath Wall who made a very nice catch near the fence. Thoms grounds out to short to end the inning. JSU 3, UGA 4

Top 3rd, JSU 0, UGA 4: Seguin grounds out to Poythress at first. Poythress had to charge to make the play so he just tagged him out. Steven Leach gets on base with a hit into left field just under the glove of SS Levi Hyams. Kyle Bluestein gets JSU on the board with his double off of the center field wall. Tanner looks all over the place for the Bulldogs (As I am typing this, he throws a wild pitch allowing Bluestein to advance to 3rd. Alex McRee is warming up in the bullpen for the Dogs. After the wild pitch, Adamson sends a shot over the right field wall for a 2-run homer to make it a one-run game. Tanner misses high and in again, but this time hits the batter.

Coach Dave Perno makes the pitching change and brings in McRee. Andrew Edge enters the game to pinch hit for Jake Welch. McRee walks Edge on six pitches. McRee knotches hit first K of the afternoon by striking out Heath Wall. After a bases loading walk, Todd Cunningham grounds out to end the inning. At the end of the inning, JSU 3, UGA 4.

Bottom 2nd, JSU 0, UGA 4: Johnathan Taylor leads off the inning by hitting a screamer down the 3b line, but it’s called foul. Perno comes out to argue, but, obviously doesn’t expect the call to be changed. Taylor ends up drawing a walk. Colby May lines out to the shortstop for out two. Poythress grounds to thirdbase–the Gamecocks attempt a double play, but can only get the out at first. Taylor is ruled safe at second after JSU failed to actually touch the bag. During next at bat, which eventually ends up with a walk, Taylor steals third. Chase Davidson goes down swinging to end the inning–no change in the score, JSU 0, UGA 4. Though this game really feels like a blowout, it’s still close and within easy striking distance for JSU.

Top 2nd, JSU 0, UGA 4: Daniel Adamson begins the inning with an infield hit to short. Hyams made a throw over, but Adamson beat it out. On the next batter, Hyams, has the oppurtunity to make an out on a bloop pop up the middle, but couldn’t reel in the fly ball. The sun looks like it caused some trouble for him. Jake Welch, the third batter of the inning, flies out left field–no advance by runners. Wall hits a deep fly ball to Davidson in RF, Adamson tags from second, but Davidson’s throw comes up late. Eberle advanced to second on the throw. Tanner seems to be running into trouble as he walksSpencer Brandes to load the bases. He is missing up and in on a lot of his pitches. Todd Cunningham, however, grounds out to 2b David Thoms who makes the throw to 1st to end the inning. At the end of the inning, JSU 0, UGA 4.

Bottom 1st, JSU 0, UGA 0: The inning is off to a bizarre start–Gamecock pitcher Mitch Miller’s 1sst pitch is high and in on Cerione. Cerione, after the pitch, barks at Miller from the batter’s box. Cerione is told to cool it by the umpire and both teams are warned. Cerione, two pitches later, hits a single off the right field wall. Next batter, Johnathan Taylor squares to bunt, but is hit on the shin. He is awarded, much to the dsipleasure of the JSU coaching staff. Colby May loads up the bases for Rich Poythress by drawing a walk. Poythress hits a single out of the infield that plates Cerione and Taylor. A wild pitch, again, up and in, to Joey Lewis allows runners on 1st and 2nd to advance to 2nd and 3rd. Three pitches later, Lewis hits a bloops single to right field allowing May to score and Poythress to advance to third. JSU’s RF Kyle Bluestein almost gunned Poythress out at third, but Poythress avoided with a nice hook slide, then managed to hold on to the base. Chase Davidson gets and RBI, but grounds into a 6-4-3 double play to clear the bases. Peter Verdin hits a chopper to third base, but 3b Sam Eberle throw is hard for 1b Steven Leach to handle. Verdin steals second on the next pitch. After about ten pitches, Levi Hyams draws the walk to put UGA runners on 1st and 2nd. David Thoms hits a hard grounder to deep short. SS Heath Wall makes an excellent diving stop to his right, but is unable to make the throw to first. Though it saved a run, the bases are loaded.

The Gamecocks decide it’s time for a pitching change. LHP Tanner Freshour comes into the game for Mitch Miller. Miller ends the day going .2 innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. Miller gets Cerione on a 1st-pitch pop out to CF to end the threat. Bulldogs strand four. At the end of the inning, JSU 0, UGA 4.

Top 1st, JSU 0, UGA 0: Tanner, who averages more than a K per inning, starts out hot, sending the Gamecocks’ Cunningham and Seguin back to the dugout on strikes. Leach hits a high breaking ball two deep right center field which bounces over the wall putting him at second. Bluestein grounds out to Colby May who easily throws over to first baseman Rich Poythress for the third out. At the end of the inning, no score.