LAWRENCEVILLE – Georgia baseball tabbed its first win of the week to the tune of a 10-3 decision over Georgia State on a breezy Tuesday night at Coolray Field.

“I thought we had good at-bats in the third, we scored those four runs,” UGA coach Scott Stricklin. In the [eighth] inning, when we scored all the runs, it was just good at-bat after good at-bat after good at-bat.

“That’s how you win games when you have good at-bat when the pressure is on.”

The Bulldogs (17-4, 2-1 SEC) erased an early 3-0 deficit in the third inning and never gave the lead back thanks to seven scoreless frames of relief pitching.

It was No. 17-ranked Georgia’s first outing since its impressive weekend series win over defending national champion Mississippi State.

Ben Anderson led the way at the dish, hitting 3 for 5 with 1 walk, 1 RBI, and a pair of runs.

The Bulldogs claimed the lead with a four-run third inning. Garrett Spikes, Chaney Rogers, and Anderson loaded the bases with a trio of singles. On the next at-bat, Josh McAllister knocked the first pitch he saw past State’s diving third baseman and into left field, plating Rogers and Spikes.

The Bulldogs jumped ahead when Georgia State’s Trent Reddick threw a wild pitch on a full count with two outs. Anderson and McAllister, already in motion, both scored with ease to grab a 4-3 UGA lead.

The two squads were silent until the top of the eighth inning, when Georgia dropped six more runs on the Panthers. A couple of walks, a passed ball and an erroneous pickoff attempt all with loaded bases combined with a two-RBI double from Connor Tate to bury Georgia State. The Bulldogs led 10-3.

Coleman Willis struggled on the mound in his two innings of work, surrendering 5 hits and 3 earned runs with 2 strikeouts. The freshman righthander allowed two runs in the first inning before giving up a monster solo home run in the second.

Bryce Melear, who had just had 4.2 innings with 5 strikeouts on the year prior to Tuesday night, shone in relief of Coleman. The redshirt sophomore posted 3 scoreless frames, fanning seven Panthers with 2 hits and 1 walk.

“I was trusting my stuff and being confident and thinking to myself, ‘I’m better than these hitters,’” Melear said.

“Bryce Melear, when you talk about opportunities, this is his third year with us,” Stricklin said. “He hasn’t gotten a whole lot of opportunities. ... He was going to get another opportunity - when it was, we didn’t know - but we told him, ‘Hey, be ready.’

“That’s the best I’ve ever seen him.”

Chandler Marsh, Jack Gowen, and Will Pearson pitched the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, respectively. The righthanders combined for 5 strikeouts, surrendering no hits and 2 walks.

Max DeJong walked one batter before shutting the door on Georgia State in his season debut.

Third baseman Parks Harber exited the game and did not return after taking a pitch to the back of the head in the second inning. Harber said he felt fine, and was pulled from the game out of precaution, according to Stricklin.

Georgia opens its first road SEC road series of the season for a chilly weekend against Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington.

“It’s going to be really cold, it’s going to be adverse,” Stricklin said. “Saying you’re cold doesn’t make you any warmer, so we’re just going to have to be tough and overcome it.”