SOFTBALL: Georgia Beats Ole Miss, Wins Series

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SOFTBALL: Georgia Beats Ole Miss, Wins Series

UGA baseball – Niaja Griffin
Niaja Griffin
(Photo by John Kelley)
[su_spacer size=”20″] Niaja Griffin’s ninth-inning two-run home run proved to be the difference maker as the No. 12/12 Georgia softball team earned the series win over the Ole Miss Rebels with a 9-7, nine-inning win on Saturday, April 11 in Oxford Miss. With the win, Georgia improves to 34-10 on the year and 10-7 in the Southeastern Conference. Ole Miss falls to 23-18 overall and 5-12 in league play. The series win marked the fourth this season for the Bulldog Ands.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Chelsea Wilkinson earned her 20th win of the season to improve to 20-6. She pitched the first 1.1 innings before re-entering and throwing the final 2.1 innings. She allowed just one hit and struck out sixbatters in a total of 3.2 innings of work. Brittany Gray allowed seven runs, four earned, on eight hits in 5.1 innings in the circle. Kayla Landwehrmiersuffered the loss to fall to 3-1 on the year. She allowed three runs, two earned, on nine hits in 7.0 innings of work. Lauren Lindsey got the start and threw 2.0 innings, allowing six runs, four earned, on four hits and a walk.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia wasted no time in getting on the board, taking a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. After an error, a hit batter and an infield single loaded the bases, Cortni Emanuel scored on wild pitch to give Georgia a 1-0 lead. A two-run triple to right by Paige Wilson made it a 3-0 game. With one out and Wilson at third, Griffin took a 0-1 pitch to the warning track, allowing Wilson to tag up and score the fourth run of the inning.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The Bulldogs added another run in the top of the second to extend its lead to 5-0. Kaylee Puailoa led off with a single up the middle before Samantha LaZear came in to pinch run. After a sacrifice bunt and a single, LaZear scored on a sacrifice fly by Sydni Emanuel.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The scoring continued into the third inning, as Georgia scored two runs to take a 7-0 lead. Anna Swafford led off the inning by walking on four pitches. After a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt, she came home on a RBI single by Griffin. With a runner at third, Tina Iosefa hit into a fielder’s choice. The throw went to the plate, but sailed wide, allowing Griffin to plate the seventh run of the game.
[su_spacer size=”40″] After scoring a run in both the fifth and sixth innings, Ole Miss put up five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game at 7-7 and send the game into extra innings.
[su_spacer size=”40″] After a scoreless eighth, Georgia retook the lead on a two run home run by Griffin. Wilson got the inning started with a one-out double to center. After fighting through her at bat, Griffin took a 1-2 pitch over the ball in left for a home run, her second of the year, which put Georgia up 9-7. It was Griffin’s third career home run.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Wilkinson shut down the Rebels in the ninth, sealing the 9-7 win for Georgia, the first extra-inning win since a 1-0, 15-inning win over LSU in 2012.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia goes for the series sweep of Ole Miss tomorrow, April 12, at 2 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on the SEC Network+. Him him him him

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