Georgia sweeps a doubleheader over UIC in home opener

ATHENS, Ga. – The eighth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs swept a doubleheader against the UIC Flames in their home opener doubleheader on Friday, winning 9-3 and 15-1 (run-rule) in front of a crowd of 2,974 at Foley Field.

Fast Facts – Game One
· Senior Devin Obee opened the scoring for the Bulldogs with a two-run single in the first.
· Senior Slate Alford blasted a three-run triple in the second inning to increase the Bulldogs lead to 5-1. This is the second triple of his career. Alford finished the day a career-best 4-for-4 and reaching base during all five plate appearances.
· Sophomore Zach Brown sat down 10 consecutive batters to record a career-high seven strikeouts over four innings in relief for his first win as a Bulldog.
· Senior Robbie Burnett launched a solo homer in the seventh to put Georgia up 8-3, it was his 37th career home run and first as a Bulldog.

Fast Facts – Game Two
·Graduate Ryland Zaborowski went 4-for-4 with a grand slam and six RBI to lead a 15-hit attack as the Bulldogs hit three home runs.
· Freshman Cade Brown celebrated his birthday with a solo home run.
· Junior Leighton Finley (1-0) pitched five innings of two-hit ball with eight strikeouts for a win.
· Senior Henry Hunter went 2-for-3 with a home run.
· The game ended after seven innings due to the 10-run rule as the Bulldogs held a 15-1.

Key Quote

Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson
“We got contributions from a lot of guys offensively. We are still not where I want us to be offensively, and we have a long way to go at the plate. Today was definitely a step in the right direction. Last weekend, it was tough conditions, we weren’t able to mix and match, but were able to do that today.”

On Ryland Zaborowski
“He is one of those guys that works extremely hard. He’s constantly thanking the game. I told him to be ready to play game two today and be ready to go. We talked to him about their starter and what to expect. We really had him prepped up and ready to go.

Ryland Zaborowski
“Coming in today, my goal was to just hit the ball high and far, high line drives. As a team, we had a lot of confidence coming into the season. A little bit of a slow start at first, but I think we finally found it today and being at home also helped.”

Up Next
Georgia (6-1) continues the home opening weekend series against UIC Saturday at Foley Field with first pitch set for 2 p.m. The game will be available on the SEC Network+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.