Georgia wins series over No. 18 Vols, Condon ties SEC Freshman HR record

ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia blasted four home runs as part of a 9-4 series-clinching win over No. 18 Tennessee at Foley Field before 3,506 spectators.

Georgia (27-21, 10-14 SEC) tallied 14 hits on the afternoon, including a pair of home runs by Charlie Condon who tied the SEC freshman record with 22 on the year (Pedro Alvarez-Vanderbilt hit 22 in 2006). Condon went 2-for-5 at the plate with three RBI while graduate Ben Anderson set the tone with a leadoff home run in the first, which was the fourth time he has done that in his career. Graduate Connor Tate (2-for-4) grabbed a pair of doubles, marking 19 for the season, tying him for the lead in the SEC.

“We have a lot of fight and a lot of pride,” Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin said. “When things don’t go your way, what are you going to do? You can’t just give up and quit. You have to fight a little bit, and these guys have done that. We have played good baseball these last few weeks. We won three out of our last four series. We are getting closer to where we need to be, but we still have work to do. I am really proud of these kids.”

After Anderson’s fourth home run of the year, Tate followed with his 18th double of the season to right field as Harber smacked a single up the middle to plate Tate for an early 2-0 lead. Georgia kept it rolling in the second with a single from junior Sebastian Murillo, who was advanced to second off a sacrifice bunt by graduate Mason LaPlante. Freshman Dwight Allen II sent a single to center field and scored Murillo for a 3-0 advantage.

Tennessee (32-16, 12-12 SEC) got on the board in the third with an RBI-single. Condon answered back in the bottom of the frame, blasting his 21st home run of the season, setting a new Georgia freshman record to boost the Bulldogs’ lead, 4-1. The Volunteers used a two-run home run by Cal Stark and a one-run single to knot the score in the fourth, 4-4. Georgia starter Liam Sullivan was lifted in favor of Kyle Greenler after tossing three and one third inning, allowing four runs on six hits.

Georgia regained the lead in the fifth as Condon cranked his 22nd home run of the season, tying the SEC freshman record for most home runs in a year, and scoring Anderson. This marks the fourth time this season Condon has hit at least two home runs in a single contest. Harber followed and blasted a two-run homer of his own, his 16th of the season, to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 8-4. The Bulldogs added another run in the eighth as LaPlante scored on a single by Anderson, 9-4.

Greenler (2-1) got the win, throwing two and one third innings with no runs and only two hits. Tennessee starter Drew Beam (6-3) took his third loss of the season after pitching four and one third innings, scattering eight runs off 10 hits with five strikeouts.

“It’s just resiliency all the way through the staff and the lineup,” Condon said. “Everyone is getting their job done right now and having confidence that the guy next to you is also going to do the same thing is the key.”

The Bulldogs will be back in action on Tuesday when they play host to USC Upstate. First pitch is set for 6:02 p.m. The game will be live on SEC Network+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.