The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: DANIEL SHIREY Matt Cerione was the catalyst in Georgia's comeback over Clemson. [Click to enlarge]

CLEMSON, S.C. - For the first eight innings of the Georgia baseball team's 4-2 win over Clemson Wednesday night, calling Georgia offense inept would have been a severe understatement.

They only managed three hits and four base runners heading into the final frame, but with their backs against the wall in the top of the ninth, the Diamond Dogs (24-3, 7-2 SEC) began to snarl and bite back as they scored three runs to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Clemson (18-9, 7-5 ACC).

With Clemson closer Matt Vaughn on the mound, center fielder Matt Cerione led off the inning with a single to right field, his second hit of the game and third time on base. Pinch hitter Johnathan Taylor then walked after failing to lay down a bunt to bring Georgia's offensive machine Rich Poythress to the plate with the winning run on first.

And Poythress didn't disappoint. He hit a liner to right field that scored Cerione from second and Taylor from first aided by an error Clemson right fielder Kyle Parker made to take a 3-2 lead. Poythress eventually scored on a RBI ground out by catcher Joey Lewis to complete the scoring.

"We knew that if we kept it close we would bounce back and have one big inning and we got it," Cerione said. "We never counted ourselves out and you have to get us all nine innings."

Added head coach David Perno: "When [Vaughn] walked Johnathan Taylor, I felt pretty good, but it was lucky, we were lucky and it worked out for us. I give our kids credit, they believe and they have a lot of confidence. … The dynamics of this team has a lot of good potential because the energy is good and the karma is good. They trust each other and they believe in each other."

Georgia got all it could ask for from freshman starter Chase Hawkins, who rebounded nicely from his March 24 loss to Wright State by scattering seven hits (all singles) over 4.2 innings and allowed only two runs (one earned).

"He's going to compete every time and he was really down after last week and we had to pick him up," Cerione said. "Tonight he fought through it and he bounced back real well and he's a competitor and he's going to fight back and not let it happen again."

Continued...

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