The Diamond Dogs are on the brink of seeing their postseason hopes slip away after Saturday’s 7-3 loss to No. 7 Ole Miss, but the Diamond Dogs were dealt a different kind of blow, too.
Senior designated hitter Daniel Nichols was slated to start the game but was hit in the head with a bat after accidentally walking into one of his teammates’ swings during batting practice. Georgia coach Scott Stricklin provided an update on Nichols’ health after the game.
“It's a concussion, so I think we all know what that means,” Stricklin said. “He'll have to be re-evaluated on Monday and see where he is. He went to the hospital and the cat scan came back with positive news, so no breaks or fractures or anything like that, but he's got a little headache, a little shook up.”
Nichols has been a force in Georgia’s lineup all season long, tallying six homers and 19 runs batted in. Junior outfielder Stephen Wrenn said Nichols’ presence was missed Saturday.
“It's definitely tough, because he's a great leader and he's a great ball player,” Wrenn said.
With Saturday’s loss, Georgia’s losing streak reached five games. The Diamond Dogs (22-25, 7-16 Southeastern Conference) entered last week saying they believed they could win eight of their last nine games and earn a postseason bid. They’ve since gone 1-5, and now can’t lose more than two games in order to reach that benchmark.
Georgia looked good in a 13-5 win over Georgia Tech on April 26 but hasn’t won since. Wrenn, who was one of only two Georgia batters to have a multi-hit game Saturday, shook his head and said he didn’t know how the Diamond Dogs could return to winning form.
“That's a good question,” he said. “I don't think we're far, but I know there's an improvement that needs to be made.”
The Diamond Dogs fell behind early as starting pitcher Connor Jones couldn’t find any luck. Jones should’ve gotten through the first inning with no runs allowed, but first baseman Patrick Sullivan dropped a popup that would’ve been the third out. The Rebels made Georgia pay for the error.
J.B. Woodman batted after the error and he sent a pitch over the right field wall to put the Rebels (36-12, 14-9 SEC) ahead 2-0.
“You go from putting a zero up in the first inning and having a little momentum to down 2-0,” Stricklin said. “Just an absolute killer in the first inning.”
Ole Miss didn’t look back. Jones gave up another run in the second then two more in the fourth. Woodman finished 2-for-5 with two homers and five RBIs.
Jones avoided a significant blow to his earned run average, though, because five of the six runs scored by Ole Miss while Jones was in the game were unearned. Georgia committed three errors: Sullivan on the botched popup, Jones on a bunt attempt and third baseman Mitchell Webb on a bad throw to first.
Drew Moody replaced Jones to begin the fifth. Moody struggled early, allowing a home run to begin each of his first two innings of work, but settled in afterwards. He finished the game, tossing a career-high (in relief appearances) five innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out four batters. Moody said he was pleased with his overall performance but upset for allowing the two home runs.
“I've been leaving my fastball up a little bit, so those two home runs were just fastballs right down the middle,” Moody said. “I've just got to make sure I keep it down and change speeds with that.”
Georgia and Ole Miss will square off Sunday at 1 p.m. to finish the series. Heath Holder will start for the Diamond Dogs, while James McArthur will be on the bump for the Rebels. Moody said he’s confident Georgia can end its losing ways Sunday.
“I heard somebody say one time nothing's ever as good as it seems and nothing's ever as bad as it seems in baseball,” Moody said. “We're in the dumps a little bit and we know what we need to do. We made it tough on ourselves here to do what we want to do.”