Georgia Overwhelms LSU 13-8, Clinches 2026 SEC Championship

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia buried LSU early, survived the Tigers’ late rally and celebrated an SEC championship Saturday night at Foley Field.

The Bulldogs exploded for eight runs in the second inning and held off LSU 13-8 to clinch the 2026 SEC regular-season championship outright — Georgia’s eighth all-time league title and first outright crown since 2008.

The victory also gave Georgia 40 wins for the third straight season under coach Wes Johnson, marking the first such stretch in program history.

LSU entered the weekend trying to strengthen its NCAA Tournament positioning, but instead watched Georgia’s relentless offense overwhelm its pitching staff for the second consecutive night. After Friday’s 11-8 Georgia victory, the Bulldogs scored double-digit runs against LSU in back-to-back games for the first time since 1999.

Robbie O’Shaughnessy delivered the biggest swings of the night, launching a grand slam during Georgia’s decisive second inning before later adding a solo homer in the eighth after LSU briefly cut the deficit to five.

The game turned almost immediately in the second inning.

Georgia sent 13 batters to the plate and scored eight runs as LSU freshman Marcos Paz struggled against one of the nation’s most dangerous lineups. The Bulldogs combined hard contact with patience, repeatedly extending innings as LSU’s pitching staff lost command.

LSU issued 13 walks overall, while the teams combined for 23 walks — the most in an SEC game this season — during a chaotic four-hour contest.

O’Shaughnessy’s grand slam highlighted Georgia’s second-inning avalanche, but the inning also reflected LSU’s larger problem throughout the night: free baserunners against an elite offense.

Georgia kept pressure on LSU inning after inning.

By the sixth, the Bulldogs had extended the lead to 12-3 and moved within striking distance of a run-rule victory. LSU briefly avoided that ending in the seventh with two key defensive plays.

Seth DarDar, shifted from first base to the right side as an extra infielder, fielded a one-hop grounder and threw home, where Cade Arambide handled the throw cleanly for the force out. Maverick Rizy then struck out Georgia slugger Daniel Jackson — the favorite to win the SEC Triple Crown — with the bases loaded to end the inning and keep Georgia’s lead at nine runs.

LSU finally mounted resistance in the eighth.

After Cade Arambide and Steven Milam opened the inning with walks against Georgia reliever Jaden Ellisen — who had walked only three batters all season entering the night — LSU created its best offensive pressure since the early innings.

Ethan Pearson singled to load the bases before Jack Ruckert drove in a run with a sacrifice groundout. Chris Stanfield then crushed a three-run homer to left field, trimming Georgia’s lead to 12-7 and eliminating the run-rule threat.

Georgia answered immediately.

O’Shaughnessy led off the bottom of the eighth with his second homer of the game, pushing the Bulldogs’ lead back to six and restoring control before LSU added one final run in the ninth.

Derek Curiel scored from third on a Kolten Smith pitch that skipped past catcher Daniel Jackson, but Smith recovered by striking out pinch hitter Edward Yamin IV swinging to end the game.

Georgia’s celebration began moments later.

The series concludes Sunday in Athens.