Columbia News

No. 9 Georgia secured a 4-2 win over the University of Missouri baseball team on Sunday at Taylor Stadium, completing a Southeastern Conference series sweep. The game was decided in the ninth inning when Slate Alford hit a two-run home run off Mizzou reliever PJ Green, breaking a 2-2 tie. Alford finished the day with three hits for the Bulldogs.

Missouri had tied the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Peyton Basler led off with a walk, Gehrig Goldbeck moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt, and Jackson Lovich’s infield single put runners on the corners. Pierre Seals then delivered a sacrifice fly to right field, ending a six-inning scoring drought for the Tigers.

Mizzou starter Wil Libbert pitched five innings and matched his career high with seven strikeouts. He worked out of trouble in each of the first four innings before Georgia scored twice in the fifth. A fielding error and an extra-base hit by Alford set up Robbie Burnett’s two-run single that gave Georgia a 2-1 lead.

Georgia’s starting pitcher Leighton Finley held Missouri to one unearned run over 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight and allowing just three hits. The Tigers’ bullpen kept them close as Xavier Lovett and Ian Lohse combined for three scoreless innings from the sixth through eighth frames. Missouri pitchers struck out 12 batters overall, marking their third straight game with double-digit strikeouts in the series.

Georgia’s relievers Brian Zeldin and Alton Davis II helped strand Missouri’s potential go-ahead run at third base in the eighth inning. Zach Harris closed out the game for his second save against Missouri in as many days.

After this result, Georgia extended its all-time series lead over Missouri to 20-16 and has now won four straight games against Mizzou. Jackson Lovich reached base for his 17th consecutive game, while Libbert equaled his previous best of seven strikeouts—a mark he set earlier this season against Evansville and Missouri State. The five Missouri pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts, bringing their total to 35 over three games—one short of their season-best SEC series total against Ole Miss in March.

Missouri is now on an 11-game losing streak dating back to April 17, surpassing its previous record skid of ten games from April to May 2021.