Wes Johnson’s debut as Georgia’s head coach could not have been better scripted.
Three pitchers combined on a two-hitter with 14 strikeouts with Georgia batters blasting four home runs en route to an 11-2 victory to give Johnson his first win.
In the postgame huddle, Bulldog players swarmed around Johnson, whose wide grin seemed to say it all.
“They were congratulating me for that first win but like I told them it’s because I have good players,” Johnson said. “We work, we get after it, but we have good players.”
There was a lot for Johnson to like.
Mississippi State transfer Slate Alford homered twice with Fernando Gonzalez and Dylan Goldstein adding a pair of their own for the Bulldogs, with Logan Jordan driving in two with a single in the sixth.
Charlie Condon didn’t homer but had two hits, including a double, registering an exit velocity of 118.2.
Alford’s afternoon was a perfect start to the season for the Alabama native.
Last year, the big right-handed hitter homered nine times, with seven coming in SEC play.
“That’s what he can do; his raw power is crazy,” Johnson said. “You put him and Charlie right there and those guys (opposing pitchers) are going to have to make a decision,” Johnson said. “Charlie hit the one at 118 today which I haven’t heard at this level, and I think Slate’s ball was 111, with the other 109. There will be days they get both of them, but man, it’s going to be tough on them, it’s going to be tough.”
Goldstein was magnificent.
His only mistake was a pitch that preseason Big South Player of the Year Robbie Burnett was able to jump on for a solo homer in the third.
Otherwise, the senior lefty did not allow much at all.
Goldstein (1-0) walked a pair, but tied his career high with seven strikeouts, working all quadrants of the strike zone before being removed to start the fifth after throwing 74 pitches.
“My command has gotten a lot better,” Goldstein said. “A lot of my game is top of the quadrant, and that means I just had a lot of carry on my fastball. I just knew if I could dump in my changeup after that and work my slider to lefties it would work really well."
Sophomore Kolten Smith took over to start the fifth and was one pitch short of dominant.
The right-hander’s only mistake was a curve he hung to Corbin Lanowitz for a solo home run. Otherwise, he only walked one and struck out five
Sophomore Jarvis Evans went the final two innings for the Bulldogs, walking two with a pair of strikeouts.
“We’ve put in a lot of work with Kolten Smith, but also Goldstein and Jarvis,” Johnson said. “I’m excited to see what Christian (Mracna) does (Saturday) and hopefully we can just build off it.”
It took Georgia’s bats a couple of innings to get going, but once they did, they never cooled back down.
The first of Alford’s two homers came in the third, followed by Gonzalez whose two-run shot in the fourth extended the lead to 3-1 before Goldstein’s pinch-hit line drive over the fence in right tackled two more runs on the board.
In the sixth, UNC-Asheville walked Condon to load the bases, but Jordan came through with a two-run single for a 7-2 lead.
The Bulldogs put the game away with a four-run seventh, highlighted by Alford’s second home run, a two-run blast, to help account for the final score.
“This lineup is unbelievable,” Alford said. “We can put anyone in. Top to bottom, I think we’re the best in the country.”
Georgia and UNC-Asheville resume their series Saturday at 3 with Sunday’s finale set for 1.
