ATHENS, Ga. – The Gardner-Webb baseball team dropped the second game of Saturday's doubleheader at seventh-ranked Georgia by a score of 5-1 Saturday evening at Foley Field.
 
Neither team scored until the bottom of the fifth inning when Randon Jernigan connected with a RBI single to give Georgia an early 1-0 lead.
 
Georgia added to its lead in the bottom of the sixth on a lead-off home run by Cole Tate, and added two more runs in the seventh as Tate was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, followed by a RBI groundout by Corey Collins.
 
UGA pushed its lead to 5-0 in the eighth on a RBI groundout by Shane Marshall.
 
Gardner-Webb attempted to rally in the top of the ninth, as Bo Rusher and Ben LaSpaluto led off the frame with back-to-back base knocks.  A groundout advanced both runners into scoring position with one out, setting up a RBI single for Cam Pearcey.  Georgia reliever Collin Caldwell responded by retiring the following two GWU batters to wrap up the game.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs totaled nine hits in the game, with Pearcey (2-for-4, RBI), Rusher (2-for-4), and LaSpaluto (2-for-3) each having multi-hit evenings.
 
Tate paced the Georgia bats, going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
 
Isaac Campbell (0-1) was saddled with the loss for GWU, giving up two runs on six hits with a pair of strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work in the start.  Kyle Skidmore, Sebastien Boivin, Bobby Alcock, and Hunter Youngblood each made trips to the mound in relief.
 
Luke Wagner (2-0) earned the win on the mound for Georgia, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings, scattering three base hits with three strikeouts.  Starter Ryan Webb lasted three innings, giving up just one base hit while fanning four batters.  Caldwell earned his second save of the season, working the final 2.1 innings while allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts.
 
Both teams will face off again tomorrow afternoon to wrap up the series.  First pitch is slated for 1:00 pm with live coverage on SEC Network + (WatchESPN.com / ESPN App).