Bulldogs Solve Schmidt; Snap Hogs Winning Streak
ATHENS, Ga. – One bad inning for Arkansas pitcher Nick Schmidt was the difference in a 6-1 Georgia win on Friday night at Foley Field in front of 1,793 fans.
Dodson (4-4) hurled his second straight complete-game win with a four-hit masterpiece over the No. 9 Razorbacks. He fanned six and walked three while throwing 107 pitches in just 1 hour and 57 minutes.
The win improved Georgia’s record to 14-24 on the season and 6-10 in the SEC. It was the first loss in almost two weeks for the Hogs, who fall to 30-11 on the year and 11-5 in conference play.
Schmidt’s second inning is one he would like to forget ever happened. He surrendered two home runs and a triple as Georgia opened up a lead that was more than enough for Dodson. The loss was the first of the season for Schmidt (8-1) and the first loss for Arkansas when he has started this season.
Schmidt settled down after the second and mowed down the Bulldogs’ lineup. He even sat down 11 in a row before Matt Olson battled for a single up the middle on a 1-2 count in the bottom of the eighth inning. Schmidt retired 12 of the final 13 Bulldog hitters.
The Bulldogs’ second inning got started when catcher Joey Lewis hammered a 2-1 pitch out to left field for his fourth home run of the season and a 1-0 lead. Schmidt then hit the next batter and after a failed sacrifice bunt, he plunked his second hitter of the inning to put runners on first and second base.
The Georgia leadoff hitter Ryan Peisel then lined a triple into the left-field corner that went past the glove of Casey Coon to score two runs. After a line out, Gordon Beckham crushed the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for a two-run home run.
When the dust cleared UGA scored five runs on three hits. It was the most runs ever allowed in a single inning by Schmidt, whose career high for runs allowed was six in 6.1 innings last season at LSU.
Danny Hamblin answered with a solo home run off the batter’s eye in center field to lead off the third inning. It was his team-best 12 home run of the season and RBI No. 41.
Georgia got the run back in the fourth inning on Jonathan Wyatt’s two-out RBI single. Miles Starr came around to score on the play after reaching on a throwing error by Tim Smalling at shortstop the stealing second base.
The big hits the Razorbacks have been getting over the six-game winning streak never materialized on Friday night as UA managed a season-low four hits. Jake Dugger was the only Arkansas player to get multiple hits, going 2 for 4 while Hamblin and Ben Tschepikow accounted for the Hogs only other hits.
The second game of the series is slated for 1 p.m. from Foley Field on Saturday as the Razorbacks look to even the series at one game apiece.
