Spring Break
Diamond Dogs upset in shocker to Wright State
MICHAEL FITZPATRICK
Issue date: 3/25/09 Section: Sports
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That was the story of the top-ranked Georgia baseball team's shocking 8-5 loss to Wright State Tuesday at Foley Field.
In a seven-run fourth inning for the Raiders (10-12, 2-1 Horizon League) in which only two balls left the infield, Georgia (19-3, 4-2 SEC) saw Wright State hit three straight bunts, with the Diamond Dogs producing only one out. With Wright State's Jeff Mercer on first, Tristan Moore laid down a bunt to advance him, but starting freshman pitcher Chase Hawkins committed a throwing error, putting runners on first and second.
Garrett Gray followed Moore's lead with a sacrifice bunt, advancing the runners to second and third. Next, Jake Hibberd bunted and beat out the play for a single, scoring Mercer.
"We just screwed up, I screwed up and I have to put it on myself," Hawkins said. "Those were easy plays and I had to get one out and I couldn't do it, and it blew up into a big inning when it shouldn't have happened. If I get one out on one of those bunts and it's an entirely different inning. We didn't execute and it cost me and it cost the team and ultimately it made us lose the ball game."
Freshman Cecil Tanner relieved Hawkins but didn't perform any better as he committed his third balk of the season and allowed three runs to score.
"It was my fault for bringing him in a situation he's not ready for, and I'm going to take a lot of responsibility for being lethargic and not being energized and not playing with the intensity we needed," Georgia head coach David Perno said. "You don't fix balks, we just have to learn from them."
On the eve of a highly anticipated matchup with No. 3 Georgia Tech, the Diamond Dogs didn't play with intensity or emotion.
"We weren't ready to play today," senior catcher Bryce Massanari said. "We had no energy in the dugout and we were flat, and you can't come out and beat people when you have no energy and give up seven runs in an inning. It's hard to win that way and hopefully we will learn from it. We can't take anything for granted, especially when we have a target on our back and everybody wants to beat us. We probably made their season."
All of Georgia's runs came courtesy of home runs. Junior Rich Poythress and Massanari each hit two-run home runs, Poythress in the first and Massanari in the sixth, and Adam Fuller added a solo shot in the sixth as well.
The loss was Georgia's first at home this season and is not an experience Georgia wants to repeat.
"We have to give it to this team for beating us because we deserved to be beat and I deserved the loss for what I did," Hawkins said. "We didn't come out with enough intensity and I don't know what it was. We should have won, we just didn't play to our capabilities and they played to their capabilities and they beat us."
As for looking ahead to Tech, Perno sure hoped Georgia was.
"I told them if we learn from it, it can be a good thing, but if you drag on about it and mope about it and not get better from it, it could be the start of something bad," he said. "I sure hope [we're looking ahead]. We'll find out tomorrow."
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