Georgia baseball’s exciting season came to an emotional end Monday evening at Foley Field. The Bulldogs fell to NC State in game three of the Athens Super Regional 8-5, just one win shy of advancing to the College World Series.
The Bulldogs got off to a quick start, as Tre Phelps elicited a deafening roar from the crowd of 3,944 with a two-run shot to take the lead in the second. The home run was one of the freshman’s three hits on the evening.
It only took NC State two batters to tie the game against Zach Harris. In the top of the third, the Wolfpack used a single and a home run to regain momentum. After game one starter Kolten Smith took the mound an inning later, NC State took the lead with a passed ball and a single just inside the third base bag.
Trailing by two, Georgia had a chance to do damage. The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth with one out and SEC Player of the Year Charlie Condon at the plate.
With a challenging task on hand, NC State went to its bullpen. The Wolfpack called the number of freshman Jacob Dudan to face the heart of Georgia’s order. The move paid off for NC State, as Dudan struck out Condon and induced a ground out from Slate Alford. It was the first time Condon struck out twice in one game since April 27, and he did so by chasing three sliders outside of the zone.
After the game, head coach Wes Johnson defended his star player, who finished the series 2-for-11.
“He hit some balls 112 miles an hour and got out,” Johnson said of Condon’s series. “That’s just called luck. I think what happens is, people get spoiled by this young man right here. It’s like, every time he comes up, you think he’s going to hit a home run. If he hits a ball 112 and lines out, he’s had a bad day.”
The Bulldogs continued to work at-bats throughout the game. However, NC State also continued to tack on runs. After the Wolfpack took a three-run lead in the sixth, Georgia once again put itself in position to score.
Back-to-back singles put runners at the corners with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Fernando Gonzalez sent a pitch to the right-field corner, but a sliding catch sent him back to the dugout with only a sacrifice fly. Kolby Branch then struck out to leave two Bulldogs stranded.
After Georgia cut its deficit back to two runs, NC State extended it with another solo shot in the top of the seventh. In the home half of the inning, a walk and hit by pitch put two on for Alford, who swung a hot bat in the series.
Alford sent the first pitch he saw into the dark blue sky above Foley Field. With the crowd about to erupt, NC State’s Eli Serrano III leaped up to rob him of extra bases at the wall. Alford was about one foot shy of tying the game with a three-run homer. The catch summed up game three for the Bulldogs.
“That’s the game of baseball,” Johnson said.
Dylan Goldstein grounded out to bring Georgia back within two, but a two-run homer in the top of the eighth put the nail in the coffin of the Bulldogs’ memorable season.
Georgia entered the bottom of the ninth trailing by four with the top of its lineup at the plate. In what was likely his last at-bat as a Bulldog, Condon lined a pitch just over the outfield wall in right field. It was a fitting way for arguably Georgia’s most prolific player to end his time in the red and black.
“I’m just incredibly thankful for this University and this program,” Condon said. “My coaches and teammates, everyone who put their time and resources into my development and promoting me the best that they could. I wouldn’t be close to who I am without that.”
Alford followed the Condon home run with a walk, but two consecutive fly outs sent NC State fleeing from its dugout in celebration.
Despite coming up a game short of advancing to Omaha, the Bulldogs had a special season that will forever be remembered.
“If you can get the right group together and get them to believe in themselves, play with confidence, and go out there and take the training we put them through daily, you have a chance. But yeah, what this group of men did was obviously something I’ll never forget.”
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with The Red & Black
