Georgia Southern scored 13 unanswered runs in the first five innings to knock off No. 20-ranked Georgia baseball 13-5 at SRP Park in North Augusta, S.C. Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs (9-3) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but did not score again. The six Bulldog pitchers used allowed 11 hits and 5 walks with 9 strikeouts.

“We had chances to score in the second, the third, and I believe it was the sixth, we had guys all over the bases and just didn’t get it done,” UGA coach Scott Stricklin said. “We’ve got too many older players that have been through the battles and the wars of this league in college baseball to let this happen.”

Redshirt sophomore Will Childers saw his first action since 2020, following Tommy John surgery and recovery last season. The righthander struck out two but allowed a solo home run in his 1 inning of work before leaving the game with discomfort while warming up for the second inning.

“We still don’t know what that is,” Stricklin said. “He’s got some soreness in there and any time you have that surgery, you’re a little bit worried when you have something.”

Michael Polk, who was terrific in Georgia’s weekend series with Georgia Tech, picked up his first loss of the young season. Polk turned in 2.0 innings and allowed 3 hits, 2 walks and 5 earned runs.

Josh McAllister led the way for UGA at the plate, finishing 1-of-3 hitting with a home run, 3 RBI, and a run. The redshirt senior took a pitch to the face while squaring for a bunt in the third inning and could miss indefinite action while recovering.

“We feel like if he can get a facemask and then doctors clear it, then he can play,” Stricklin said. “That’s going to be day to day. He’s going to be swollen and sore, but it’s not as bad as what we thought.”

The Eagles (7-5) scored in all of its first five innings.

Corey Collins hit a two-run home run and McAllister hit a three-run bomb of his own in the game’s opening frame. Georgia Southern chipped off two runs in the first couple sides before plating four runs in both the third and fourth inning. Another 3 Eagle runs in the fifth inning gave them a 13-5 lead.

It was Noah Ledford’s grand slam off Nolan Crisp in the fourth inning that blew the game open for Georgia Southern.

Pending game-appropriate weather, the two teams will play again at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at J.I. Clements Stadium in Statesboro.