No matter how prolific an offense the top-ranked Georgia baseball team possesses, the importance of pitching and defense will remain paramount.

And look no further than Tuesday’s 6-5 win against the No. 22 Clemson Tigers at Foley Field.

In the top of the third inning, the Tigers (18-8, 7-5 ACC) had runners at first and second with two outs and their third-leading RBI man, Brad Miller, at bat. Miller then turned on the 2-0 offering from Georgia starter Jason Leaver and rocketed the ball to the deepest part of the park in right-center field. But freshman center fielder Zach Cone got on his horse and made a phenomenal leaping catch against the wall to rob Miller of a three-run home run that would have given the Tigers a 4-1 lead.

“I was playing over in left center and I just reacted and instinct took over,” Cone said. “I think it would’ve gone over the wall and I asked [right fielder] Peter [Verdin] if it would’ve gone over and he said if it didn’t, it would’ve been close. But I was going to go for it the entire way.”

Said freshman third baseman Colby May: “That was the most amazing catch I’ve ever seen. That catch was so clutch, because there were runners on first and second, and I’m pretty sure he robbed him. That’s such an impressive catch, especially by a freshman.”

The following Georgia at-bat, the home run happy Diamond Dogs (23-3, 7-2 SEC) showed they could score without the benefit of the long ball as they scored four times in the third. Following a Levi Hyams strikeout and a Michael Demperio walk, the next three batters, Johnathan Taylor, Verdin and Rich Poythress all reached on infield singles. Poythress connected on a check swing that went to second and scored Demperio to give Georgia a 2-1 lead. Bryce Massanari then hit a two-run single to center, scoring Taylor and Verdin, before Poythress scored on a single by Joey Lewis and an error on Clemson left fielder Jeff Schaus to extend the lead to 5-1.

“Massanari picked us up tonight,” Georgia head coach David Perno said. “Teams aren’t going to let Rich do it all year long and they are going to make certain that other people beat them, and that’s why we need Massanari and Lewis to keep going.”

The Tigers drew to within one in the fifth inning, as they added two runs on a Kyle Parker home run to left center, and another on a pinch-hit double by Chris Epps to score Miller.

May gave the Dogs an insurance run in the sixth with a no-doubter into the trees in left field to give the Dogs a two-run cushion. It turned out to be the game-winning run as closer Dean Weaver allowed a run to score en route to his fifth save of the season.

Georgia received a strong performance from Leaver (3-0), who pitched the first three innings, but still earned the victory because of a pre-determined pitch count. The lone run he allowed came on a home run by Shaus that went over the scoreboard in right field. Massanari answered in the second with a home run of his own to tie the game at one.

The two teams complete their home-and-home series tonight at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C., with first pitch scheduled at 7.