ATHENS — Georgia baseball freshman Fernando Gonzalez blasted a grand slam to break a scoreless tie and lift the Bulldogs to a 4-0 victory over Auburn.
Georgia senior pitcher Ryan Webb (3-3) threw six innings of one-hit baseball against Auburn before Ben Harris came on in relief to pick up his second save of the season in the Thursday night game at Foley Field.
“I felt really good out there tonight,” Webb said. “My changeup was really good, and I feel like my fastball command is the best it’s been in the last month. I felt really, really good tonight.”
The No. 20-ranked Bulldogs (27-14, 10-9 SEC) play host to the Tigers (17-21, 3-16) in Game Two of the series at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Gonzalez’s home run came after UGA chased Auburn starter Jack Owen in the sixth inning.
“It’s one of those games that one swing can change it,” Gonzalez said. “I’m happy he didn’t pinch hit for me.”
The Bulldogs were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position before Gonzalez, a former North Cobb Christian standout, hit the opposite field shot for his second home run of the season.
Oconee County’s Cole Tate led the UGA hitters with three hits in four plate appearances, two of them doubles.
The game took 2:23 to complete as Georgia posted its first SEC shutout since blanking LSU 2-0 in 2019. It was the Bulldogs fifth shutout of this season and second combined two-hitter.
