Daniel Jackson has dominated for Georgia all season.
It’s only fitting the catcher’s two-run shot in the 10th inning sends the Bulldogs to Omaha.
With an 11-9 win vs. Mississippi State in Game 2 of super regionals Sunday at Foley Field, Georgia survives two nail-biters and will head to the College World Series for the first time since 2008.
Georgia has the chance to win its first CWS since 1990. In 2008, the Bulldogs advanced to the finals before falling to Fresno State in Game 3.
The Bulldogs survived Sunday’s battle despite late-game chaos: reliever Zach Brown yielded back-to-back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning, narrowing Georgia’s lead to 8-7, and reliever Matt Scott gave up a two-run shot to give Mississippi State its first lead of the day, 9-8, heading into the ninth.
Georgia also committed three errors.
Georgia’s offense scored at least one run in each of the first five innings Sunday and did what it does best, crushing four home runs and feeding the trees that line their home stadium, responding with the game on the line.
Down one run, first baseman Brennan Hudson’s RBI single scored left fielder Kenny Ishikawa to keep Georgia alive in the ninth, with reliever Justin Byrd getting three outs to send it to extras and holding off Mississippi State in the 10th, after Jackson’s shot. Byrd pitched a clutch scoreless ninth and tenth and receives the win.
Starting pitcher Caden Aoki finished with 121 pitches, giving up four runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out nine in 5 2/3 innings.
Georgia jumped on Mississippi State starter Ryan McPherson early. McPherson, whom the Bulldogs had yet to face this season, went 1 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on three hits, walking three and striking out one.
Aoki exited with Georgia leading 7-4, and shortstop Kolby Branch’s second home run of the day put Georgia briefly up by four, until Mississippi State responded with three runs in the bottom of the seventh and kept coming.
Georgia won an offensive juggernaut of a Game 1 13-12 Saturday at Foley Field, hitting five home runs to Mississippi State’s six, with the teams combining for 31 hits. The Bulldogs committed two errors in Saturday’s win.
This season, the Bulldogs won the SEC regular season title for the first time since 2008 and the SEC Tournament title for the first time in program history. This is a historic offense for Georgia, with a program-record 174 home runs.
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