The debilitated Diamond Dogs limped into Starkville to take on third-ranked Mississippi State and the result was entirely predictable.
As usual, the Red and Black baseball team hung around just long enough to convince its fans to get their hopes up so that the false confidence of the citizens of Bulldog Nation could be dashed later.
Georgia's Friday evening contest with Mississippi State remained scoreless after two innings and the two teams emerged from the third frame knotted at three runs apiece. When the game reached its halfway point in the middle of the fifth, the competing squads were snarled in a 4-4 tie.
That is when the maroon-clad Bulldogs began to distance themselves from their more fashionably clad opponents. Mississippi State put up three runs in the bottom of the fifth frame before breaking the game open with a seven-run sixth.
After that, it was all over but the shouting. The home team tacked on an additional run in the eighth to take a 15-4 lead into the final inning, in which Georgia's Josh Morris led off with a Ryan Kleskoesque meaningless stat-padding solo home run when what his team really needed was a single to get a rally going.
The Red and Black were not altogether lacking in offensive punch, smacking 13 hits over the course of the conference outing, but the home team's firepower proved too much for the visiting Bulldogs, as M.S.U. belted 22 hits on the night.
The Diamond Dogs' loss in Starkville came in the first contest of a seven-game road trip against ranked opponents. This latest setback drops Georgia to 19-10 overall, including a dismal 3-7 mark in conference play and a 2-3 record against ranked teams away from Foley Field.
It is starting to look like this baseball season is going to get bad before it gets worse. If this downward spiral continues, I may come around to The Realist's way of thinking. If the Diamond Dogs fail to qualify for the S.E.C. tournament, it may be time to start discussing the availability of other coaching options.
Go 'Dawgs!