Dawgs thrash Cats 13-4

ATHENS - The 11th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs used a 14-hit attack and another fine start by junior right-hander Stephen Dodson to cruise past ninth-ranked Kentucky 13-4 Saturday at Foley Field.

A crowd of 3,399 watched the Bulldogs (22-12, 11-3 SEC) win their seventh straight SEC game while building a 9-0 lead through the first two frames off Kentucky starter Scott Green. The Wildcats (26-7, 6-6 SEC) made four errors on the day which led to five unearned runs. Dodson improved to 5-1 as he allowed four runs (two earned) with no walks and two strikeouts while Green dropped to 3-2. The Wildcat right-hander surrendered nine runs (five earned) on eight hits. Tyler Henry provided solid relief for Kentucky, tossing the next five innings and allowing just a pair of runs on six hits.

Meanwhile, senior Nick Montgomery tossed two scoreless innings for the Bulldogs as the bullpen extended their streak of not allowing an earned run in the SEC in its last 38.1 innings, a span of 12 games. With the win, Georgia has now clinched all five of its SEC series this year.

“Whe we score early like that, we have a great chance to win with the way our pitching has been including the bullpen,” said Georgia coach David Perno. “We took advantage of some mistakes they made and got some big hits with men on base. The top of the order did a good job, and I was really proud of what Joey Lewis, Matt Cerione and Lyle Allen did in chipping in from the bottom of the order too. We gave our pitchers some breathing room today, and they were able to relax and that makes them even better. I was proud of the way Stephen Dodson pitched because I knew he had a lot on his mind.”

Dodson’s former high school teammate, Michael Hutts, a junior pitcher at Georgia Tech, died Friday in Atlanta. “It was tragic about Michael, he was a close friend, and I’ve never had to deal with something like that,” said Dodson. “I have kept him in my prayers and I thought of him throughout the game.”

Offensively, Georgia got three-hit performances from seniors Ryan Peisel (3-for-5, 1 RBI) and Matt Olson (3-for-4, 3R, 2 RBI) at the top of the lineup. After an intentional walk in his first plate appearance, junior shortstop Gordon Beckham (1-for-3, 3 R, 2 BB) got to swing in the bat in the second inning and delivered a run-scoring double as part of a four-run outburst. Sophomores Rich Poythress (2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) and designated hitter Joey Lewis (2-for-4, RBI) also notched two hits apiece.

The Wildcats got on the board in the fourth on a solo home run by designated hitter Sawyer Carroll (3-for-3, 2 RBI). It was his ninth of the year. Poythress answered with his eighth home run in the bottom of the inning. UK struck for three runs on two hits in the sixth with Carroll contributing an RBI-double.

The series concludes Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.