ATHENS — Georgia baseball returned home after being swept for the first time in more than two years, falling at Mississippi State 6-5 on Sunday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (33-12, 13-8) are sure to fall from No. 4 in the rankings and they are now a full two games behind Vanderbilt (34-9, 15-6) in the SEC East Division.

Georgia trailed 6-1 entering the ninth at MSU on Sunday, but its rally fell short, and the team has now lost four straight games.

Tim Elliott made his 14th career start but first SEC start, leaving down 1-0 with two outs in the third inning. Georgia was without ace Emerson Hancock, so the pitching rotation was off its normal cycle.

“Overall, it was a disappointing weekend,” UGA coach Scott Stricklin said in a school release. “We didn’t play well and Mississippi State outplayed us. We didn’t get it done, and we had plenty of opportunities in every game.”

Previously the most recent time Georgia baseball was swept in an SEC series was in 2017, at No. 11 Arkansas.

Georgia returns to action at 6:30 p.m. against The Citadel in North Augusta, S.C.