Box Score Athens, Ga. -- Three
Georgia pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout, and seven of the
Bulldogs' 14 hits went for extra bases as Youngstown State fell
14-0 Saturday afternoon at Foley Field.
Georgia starter Alex McRee, who picked up
three wins over top-20 teams during the 2008 regular season and two
in the NCAA Tournament, allowed four hits and struck out six in 5.2
innings to earn the victory.
Reliever Will Harvil allowed one hit and
struck out three in 1.1 innings, and Michael Palazzone did not
allow a hit and struck out two in two frames.
"The result was obviously not what we
want, but our effort was a lot better today than yesterday,"
Penguins coach Rich Pasquale said. "We just went up against two or
three Major League-caliber pitchers today."
David Leon finished 2-for-3 to lead YSU.
Rich Poythress hit a three-run homer in the first inning and scored
three times for Georgia.
The Penguins got a runner into scoring
position in the top of the first when C.J. Morris singled and moved
to second on Eric Hymel's sacrifice bunt. McRee responded to induce
a ground out and pop out to end the inning.
After Poythress' homer in the first made
it 3-0 Georgia, Chase Davidson led off the second with a homer, and
the Bulldogs added three runs in the third and another in the
fourth to go up 8-0.
YSU kept Georgia scoreless in the fifth
and sixth, but the Bulldogs erupted for six runs on five hits in
the seventh. Four of the five hits went for extra bases.
Sophomore Matt Tucker was charged with
the loss for YSU, allowing eight runs on seven hits in four
innings.
Poythress and McRee were both named
preseason All-America selections by Baseball America. McRee was
also rated the 26th-best college prospect in the country by the
magazine.
The Penguins turned three double plays in
the contest, and committed six fewer errors and walked five
fewer batters than in Friday's season opener.
The Penguins and Bulldogs will wrap up
the three-game series Sunday at 2 p.m.