Georgia baseball saw its season come to a heartbreaking end on Sunday after the Bulldogs lost an elimination game to the North Carolina Tar Heels 6-5.
After a slow start, the Diamond Dawgs rallied in the bottom of the ninth inning but could not complete the comeback thanks to some great defense by the Tar Heels.
North Carolina, the 2022 ACC Tournament Champions, jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the third inning following a pair of RBI singles and a wild pitch. The Bulldogs got on the board in the bottom of the third inning thanks to a Chaney Rogers RBI single and a Corey Acton RBI double in the sixth.
Georgia baseball finishes the 2022 season in the regional portion of the NCAA Tournament.
Luke Wagner, Jaiden Woods, Jack Gowen, and Chandler Marsh each pitched for the Bulldogs.
Heading to the bottom of the ninth, Georgia found themselves down 6-2. Cole Tate led off with a single to center field. His brother Connor followed that up with a double that moved Cole to third base. After Parks Harber grounded out, senior Chaney Rogers mashed a three-run home run to center field to pull the Dawgs within one.
CHANEY ROGERS GOES YARD AND WE'VE GOT A 1-RUN BALLGAME!#GoDawgs #RunItBack pic.twitter.com/sS2t3q727m
— Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA) June 5, 2022
Josh McCallister came to bat next, and he hit what looked to be a game-tying home run before Tar Heel center fielder Vance Honeycutt made an incredible catch to rob the Bulldogs of a run. Corey Collins would strike out in the next at-bat.
With the loss, the careers of Georgia greats like Connor and Cole Tate, Chaney Rogers, and Ben Anderson came to an end. The Tate brothers were two of the most prominent offensive players for Georgia in 2022, combining for 137 hits, 19 home runs, and 88 RBIs.
Georgia finished with a 36-23 overall season record and 1-2 in their NCAA Tournament games. They suffered a game one loss to VCU on Friday, 8-1. The Rams jumped all over Bulldog ace and MLB Draft prospect Jonathan Cannon, tagging him for five earned runs in 3.2 innings.
The Diamond Dawgs flexed their offensive muscles the next game against Hofstra, thanks to a 13-run outburst in the third inning. Georgia would win that game 24-1.
Though many seniors leave the team, the Diamond Dawgs will return talented players such as Corey Collins, Jaiden Woods, Cole Wagner, and Fernando Gonzalez. Keep an eye on Coach Scott Stricklin’s team in 2023.