A couple of home runs was all Georgia baseball could muster and the same offense that scored 27 total runs on Florida last weekend was limited to six hits against Clemson.

The No. 14-ranked Bulldogs (22-7, 6-3 SEC) were nearly silent through the first six frames and never made up for it in a 4-3 loss Tuesday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C.

“We pitched well enough to win, but in these midweek games, you have to be able to score more than three runs,” UGA coach Scott Stricklin said. “We only got the leadoff guy on one time tonight. Michael Polk got out of a bases loaded nobody out jam, and Chandler Marsh, Will Pearson and Jack Gowen all looked good too. Clemson was better than us tonight.”

Clemson earned its first win over Georgia since 2017. The Bulldogs held a six-game win streak against their cross-border rivals before Tuesday night.

It was the first of two games scheduled between Georgia and the Tigers (19-9, 2-6 ACC) this season. The two teams will play in Athens on April 19.

Hank Bearden, typically a relief pitcher, started his second career game on the mound for Georgia. The sophomore is one of several young arms stepping into larger roles with Dylan Ross and Will Childers done for the season and Liam Sullivan out temporarily.

Bearden, who pitched well in first career start a week ago, did not make it out of the second inning. He allowed two hits and three walks for two earned runs in an inning of work.

Georgia’s next five pitchers fared much better and pounded the strike zone to allow just one walk. Clemson had 4 hits and a walk for one earned run in the next seven innings.

Parks Harber made the most damage for the Georgia bats. The first baseman was 2-for-4 hitting with a two-run home run in an (otherwise) forgettable night.

The rain subsided in time for the teams to play, but the thunder showed up early as three home runs were hit in the first inning. Cole Wagner whacked a solo shot to right field in the top of the first to give Georgia its only, and short-lived, lead of the night.

Clemson responded with back-to-back solo homers in the bottom of the first inning. The Tigers grabbed a 3-1 lead when an unearned run scored on a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Max Wagner hit Clemson’s third solo blast of the game to give his team a 4-1 advantage in the sixth inning.

Georgia had reached base just four times in the first six innings, and only one runner reached second safely.

Connor Tate came through with a leadoff double in the seventh inning. Harber brought Tate and himself home two outs later with a two-run bomb. He whacked a knee-high changeup that took no time finding the left-field bleachers to cut Clemson’s lead to 4-3.

UGA’s final six batters went down in order in the next two innings.

Georgia will return to the Palmetto State for a weekend series against South Carolina (13-14, 3-6 SEC) at 7 p.m. on Friday at Founders Park in Columbia, S.C.