Georgia takes batting practice off seven LSU pitchers in a 12-7 win

It took one of the SEC’s best closers and a steady diet of hits off a parade of LSU pitchers for 11th ranked Georgia to delay the 20th ranked Tigers from winning two consecutive league series for the first time this season.

Righty Jack Gowen recorded his ninth save of the year when he cut short LSU’s three-run seventh inning rally, escaping with the Tigers leaving the bases loaded in an eventual 12-7 victory Saturday afternoon in Alex Box Stadium.

The Bulldogs (30-13 overall, 12-8 SEC), who face LSU (28-14, 11-9) in Sunday’s series finale at 1 p.m., totally flipped their 6-2 series-opening loss Friday in which they left 13 runners on base and scored their only runs in the second inning.

Georgia stranded just five runners and scored in five of the first seven innings before putting the game in the hands of Gowen.

After LSU third baseman Jacob Berry’s three-run homer off Georgia reliever Jaden Woods sliced the Bulldogs’ lead to 8-7 with no outs left in the seventh, Gowen (besides issuing an intentional walk) retired nine of the 10 remaining batters he faced.

The Bulldogs put the game on ice with their four-run ninth, pounding three home runs off Eric Reyzelman and Garrett Edwards, the last two of six LSU relievers.

Georgia had 17 hits, including six home runs with second baseman Cory Acton, left fielder Connor Tate and third baseman Parks Harber hitting two each. That trio – the Bulldogs No. 2, 3 and 5 hitters – were a combined 9 of 14 at the plate with nine RBI and seven runs scored.

Six of seven LSU pitchers gave up multiple hits each and all but reliever Riley Cooper were charged with giving up a run though Cooper allowed a two-run double with the runs charged to reliever Bryce Collins.

The Tigers’ lousy pitching performance got off to a rocky beginning when LSU starter Blake Money lasted just two innings, allowing four hits and three runs (all earned).

He walked Georgia leadoff hitter Ben Anderson on four pitches and then watched his fifth pitch leave the yard when Bulldogs’ Acton blasted a two-run home run for a 2-0 advantage.

It was the 12th homer allowed by Money this season, who leads the SEC in homers yielded per innings.

Georgia expanded its advantage to 3-0 in the top of the second when first baseman Chaney Rogers one-out RBI single plated shortstop Josh McAllister, who had doubled. Money got out of the inning when he picked Rogers off first base for the second out and then induced catcher Fernando Gonzales into a rally-killing pop up.

LSU, which left two runners on base in the first inning, banged out four hits in its four-run second inning highlighted by back-to-back home runs.

After designated hitter Brayden Jobert was hit by a pitch and advanced to third base on catcher Tyler McManus’ single that included a fielding error by McAllister, left fielder Josh Stevenson deposited a 1-2 pitch from Georgia starter Jonathan Cannon over the right field wall for a game-tying three-run homer.

Cannon, perhaps a bit unsettled, then gave up a first-pitch solo homer to right fielder Josh Pearson for a 4-3 LSU lead.

While Georgia coach Scott Stricklin decided to ride Cannon’s pitching arm for as long as possible – he lasted five innings, allowed eight hits and four runs (all earned) and was eventually credited with the win to improve his record to 8-1 – LSU coach Jay Johnson began his usual merry-go-round of relievers.

Lefty Jacob Hasty opened the top of the third and lasted three innings. He had four strikeouts but also yielded four hits and the game-tying run at 4-4 in the Georgia fifth on Tate’s RBI groundout.

Collins, LSU’s second reliever, lasted three batters in the Georgia sixth. He recorded only one out before leaving Tigers reliever No. 3 Cooper with a two-man on base situation that the Bulldogs’ Rogers wiped clean with a two-run double for a 6-4 Georgia lead.

Cooper got out of the jam when Tigers’ second baseman Cade Doughty turned an inning-ending double play after fielding an Anderson grounder, tagging out Gonzales between first and second base and then throwing out Anderson.

Back in the lead, Georgia opened the LSU sixth by inserting lefty Woods as its first reliever of the day. Throwing fastballs in the mid-90s combined with pinpoint control, he struck out the side in just 11 pitches.

LSU was hoping senior Trent Vietmeier, its fourth reliever of the afternoon, could quiet the Bulldogs’ bats as he entered in the Georgia seventh. But the visitors extended their lead to 8-4 on solo homers by Tate and Harber.

Yet when Woods began losing control in the LSU seventh, the Tigers took advantage. Woods opened by issuing consecutive walks to Pearson and center fielder Dylan Crews, setting up Berry’s three-run homer that reduced Georgia’s lead to 8-7.

Woods then hit Doughty on the right foot with a pitch and Doughty moved to second on first baseman Tre’ Morgan’s neatly-placed single to left field.

That was the cue for Gowen to replace Woods and enter with no outs. LSU’s Jordan Thompson’s perfect sacrifice bunt out advanced runners to second and third and Jobert was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Gowan struck out McManus on a full count and then got out of the jam to preserve a one-run lead when he forced Stevenson into an inning-ending grounder to Georgia first baseman Rogers.

Johnson made his fifth pitching change when he brought out righty Eric Reyzelman to face the Bulldogs in top of the eighth. Reyzelman, who faced just two batters and threw eight pitches in LSU’s series-opening win, struck out the side on 10 pitches which were almost all mid to high 90 miles per hour fast balls.

But he absolutely collapsed in the Georgia ninth. Acton and Tate hit back-to-back one-out solo homers and LSU was done.