ATHENS – Coach Scott Stricklin returned to the bench for his Georgia baseball team after a COVID quarantine, and the Bulldogs rewarded him with a 5-3 victory over South Carolina’s eighth place on Friday .
“This is a very good team that we just defeated,” said Stricklin. “A team that has just swept Florida and I think it is a legitimate Top 10 team.”
Georgia Senior Riley King delivered what proved to be the winning RBIs of the game in a hit that went through the right side of the infield, scoring two runs at the end of the seventh inning to make it 4-3.
The 23rd ranked Bulldogs (18-7, 3-4 SEC) added a safe run at the end of the eighth inning to break what had been a consecutive winning streak for the Gamecocks (17-7, 4-3).
Stricklin returned to training on Thursday after losing Tuesday’s victory over Clemson and last weekend’s Texas A&M series.
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Stricklin made sure his Georgia players knew what it would take to win a club like South Carolina.
“Toughness – that was the topic of practice,” said Stricklin. “On my first day back, I didn’t just want to be a hood ornament in training.
“I talked to the team before the training started, (and) I shook them a little. I don’t think they expected it, and I went after them a little bit. “
And then the Bulldogs went after South Carolina.
“Disappointed, we didn’t make it,” USC coach Mark Kingston told Columbia State “Both teams started well. We just weren’t as sharp on the battlefield or defense at the end of the game, and that was the difference. “
The teams resume the three-game series at 2 pm on Saturday at Foley Field.