ATHENS, Ga. (Interstat) — Daniel Jackson’s second-inning grand slam erased an early deficit and propelled the Georgia Bulldogs to a 5-2 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks in the opener of a Southeastern Conference series Friday afternoon at Foley Field.

The Bulldogs (21-6, 4-3 SEC), despite being held to four hits, capitalized on a pivotal mistake by South Carolina starter Josh Gunther to secure the win. The Gamecocks (13-14, 2-5) out-hit Georgia 9-4 but stranded 10 baserunners and could not recover from Jackson’s decisive swing.

South Carolina struck first in the second inning. Luke Yuhasz and Patrick Evans singled, and Diego Lizama followed with an RBI single to left field for a 1-0 lead.

Georgia responded in the bottom half, loading the bases with one out on two walks and an RBI single by Kenny Ishikawa that cut the deficit to 2-1. After a strikeout, Gunther hit Slate Alford with a pitch to re-load the bases. Jackson then launched the first pitch he saw over the left-field wall for a grand slam, his second home run in three games, giving Georgia a 5-2 lead it would not relinquish.

The grand slam was the most important sequence of the game, transforming a one-run deficit into a three-run cushion and shifting all momentum to the home side. It accounted for all of Georgia’s runs beyond Ishikawa’s single.

From there, Georgia’s pitching duo of Joey Volchko and Justin Byrd silenced the Gamecock offense. Volchko earned the win, allowing two runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out six. Byrd was dominant in relief, recording the final seven outs, five via strikeout, and allowing just two hits to earn the save.

South Carolina’s bullpen was equally sharp after the second inning. Following Gunther’s exit, relievers Parker Marlatt, Zach Russell and Alex Philpott combined for 3 2/3 perfect innings, striking out two. The Gamecocks threatened in the eighth, loading the bases with two outs, but Byrd entered and induced an inning-ending groundout. They put the tying run on deck in the ninth before Byrd closed the door.

Evans led South Carolina with three hits, while Yuhasz added two, including a double.

The victory improved Georgia’s record in one-run and two-run games this season to 8-3. South Carolina fell to 2-7 in SEC play.

The teams continue the three-game series Saturday afternoon.