Georgia’s home-run barrage puts series opener out of reach for South Carolina
Georgia’s Charlie Condon arrived in Columbia as the best player in college baseball.
He’s a near lock to be the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft with as many home runs as anyone in the 21st century. He entered Thursday with an astronomical 1.105 slugging percentage, the best batting average in America and a seven-game streak of smashing a home run.
A day before South Carolina faced the Bulldogs, Gamecocks coach Mark Kingston was asked about his plan of attack.
“Throw the ball to the backstop and make sure he doesn’t steal second base,” Kingston said, seemingly only half-joking. “I don’t think there’s any way to get him out. ... You’ve got to try and limit his impact on a game.”
In No. 15 Georgia’s 14-10 series-opening victory Thursday over the No. 13 Gamecocks, USC helped Condon add a couple seconds to his highlight montage.
In the first inning, he turned a Roman Kimball breaking ball into a heat-seeking missile, pounding the ball to the warning track for an RBI double. It looked like he was taking a hack off a tee.
He stepped into the batter’s box again an inning later. The batter ahead of him, senior Corey Collins, had just mashed a two-run dinger to put the Bulldogs (36-12, 14-11 SEC) up three. And up walked Condon.
No outs. No runners on. No reason to pitch to the best hitter in college baseball.
Heck, the Gamecocks (33-16, 13-12 SEC) could have done as their coach suggested and “throw the ball to the backstop and make sure he doesn’t steal second base.”
Instead, reliever Ty Good went after Condon. The first pitch was a 91 mph fastball grooved over the middle of the plate. Condon sent it over the concession stand beyond the left-field concourse — a 428-foot no-doubter.
“He’s the best hitter in the country right now,” Kingston said postagme. “He’s seeing the ball really well. You can’t walk him every time.”
It was Condon’s 34th home run of the season in just 48 games — the most of any college baseball player since 1999. It also marked the eighth straight game Condon went yard.
“He’s a really good hitter,” Kingston said. “We’ll continue to pick our spots with him.”
Condon was not the sole reason Georgia won on Thursday. He only accounted for two of the Bulldogs’ 14 runs and just one of the their five home runs.
But he was the bully. The one who hit the hardest and inflicted the most pain. The one who you always had to keep an eye on, think about, prepare for.
Take this sequence in the fifth inning. The Bulldogs’ No. 9 hitter, Fernando Gonzalez, was up at bat with one out. If reliever Tyler Dean could just get him out, there was a chance he wouldn’t have to face Condon that inning.
Dean attacked — and Gonzalez demolished a three-run homer over to the left-field concourse.
A few minutes later, the Founders Park crowd cheered when South Carolina finally intentionally walked Condon.
SOUTH CAROLINA BASEBALL THIS WEEK
Friday: vs. Georgia, 5:30 pm (SEC Network)
Saturday: vs. Georgia, 2 pm (SEC Network Plus)
