Charlie Condon was bound to break out of his slump eventually. Although in his case, it was a slump dropping his batting average to .468 with 21 home runs and 44 RBIs. While this stat line is remarkable for most, the expectations are even higher for the potential No. 1 overall pick in Major League Baseball’s draft.
In Thursday’s 15-10 victory over Missouri, Condon finished 4-4 with two home runs and five RBIs. His first homer was a 457-foot blast to left field with an exit velocity of 115. It was Condon’s longest of the season.
“I thought I got that one pretty good,” Condon said. “I thought that was one of the better ones of my career.”
Condon’s 22nd home run of the season occurred in the third inning, with Georgia trailing by one. On a 2-0 count, he obliterated a pitch into the dark blue sky over Foley Field. Head coach Wes Johnson said he is running out of words to describe the season Condon is having, with the slugger currently leading the nation in home runs and slugging percentage.
“I’ve done this a long time,” Johnson said in reference to his career in both college baseball and MLB. “I’m watching something that I don’t know if I’ll ever see again in my career.”
Condon’s second home run came in the seventh inning after Missouri scored five runs in the sixth to trim Georgia’s 10-run lead in half. With Corey Collins on first, he sent a pitch to deep center field for his 23rd homer of the season. Condon is just five away from breaking Gordon Beckham’s record of 53 career home runs at Georgia.
While Condon’s name is the one making headlines, the Bulldogs’ lineup is littered with depth. Condon, Collins and Kolby Branch each have double-digit homers, while the team leads the nation with 92 four-baggers.
This depth was on display in the fourth inning, when Missouri opted to intentionally walk Condon to load the bases for Dylan Goldstein. Goldstein made the decision backfire, with a two RBI double to right field. Johnson, a former pitching coach, said having a deep lineup “really puts pressure” on the opposing pitching staff.
Although Georgia’s offense stole the show, Jarvis Evans also had a career night. With Charlie Goldstein unavailable this weekend due to shoulder fatigue, Evans pitched 5.1 innings of three-run ball. His nine strikeouts were a career high, while his innings pitched were his longest as a starter.
“It didn’t really feel any different today,” Evans said. “Just was able to execute when needed to. The biggest thing is helping my guys out and trying to be as efficient as possible. Nobody wants to sit around and watch walk after walk, so if I can get us off the field and get our athletes up to the plate like All-American Charlie Condon, you have a chance to win the ball game.”
Aside from Evans, the pitching staff’s performance was less than ideal. After the Bulldogs got out to a 11-1 lead, the Tigers used a five-run sixth inning to claw back. Blake Gillespie took over for Evans in the sixth but was unable to record an out on 16 pitches. In the next two innings, Christian Mracna allowed four runs on four hits.
Although the bullpen allowed seven runs, it garnered little help from its defense, which committed three errors. Defensive play has been an issue for the Bulldogs recently, with six errors in its past three games. However, the blow has been lessened by Georgia’s powerful offense.
“It goes to show the importance of not taking at-bats or pitches off,” Condon said of Missouri’s late comeback attempt. “No matter who you are playing in the SEC, they are going to give you a full fight for nine innings.”
Georgia will try to take the series from Missouri Friday at 6 p.m. The Tigers have won four of their five series in Athens since joining the SEC, but the Bulldogs are 21-1 at home this season.
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