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SB: No. 5/3 Georgia softball defeated No. 8/9 Clemson 2-1 in an eight-inning battle

Senior Jayda Kearney provided the walk-off hit, a single through the right side, to plate Dallis Goodnight, beating the Tigers 2-1. Georgia improves to 13-1 on the season.

Kearney and Goodnight each tallied two hits in the game, combining for four of Georgia’s six hits. Goodnight drove in Georgia’s other run in the third.

Madison Kerpics pitched two innings in her start, allowing one hit and striking out two Tigers. Shelby Walters worked two and two-thirds innings out of the pen, giving up two hits and striking out two. Lilli Backes (4-0) earned the victory in the circle.  Backed pitched three and a third innings, giving up a run on three hits. She fanned three Clemson batters.

Goodnight used an RBI double to left center in the bottom of the third to drive in Sarah Gordon, putting the Dogs on the board 1-0.

The 1-0 Georgia lead held until a two-out RBI single off the bat of McKenzie Clark tied the game at 1-all in the top of the sixth.

The 1-1 draw was held through the end of the seventh, and the game was sent into extra innings.

Backes worked around a one-out single in the top of the eighth to hold the Tigers. Goodnight led off the bottom of the inning with a bunt for a hit down the third base line. She advanced on a wild pitch, then again on a flyout. Kearney stepped in and singled through the right side on a 1-0 pitch to drive in Goodnight and walk off the Tigers, 2-1.

The Bulldogs hit the road this weekend to Palo Alto, California, to participate in the 2024 DeMarini Invitational hosted by No. 11/10 Stanford. Georgia will play No. 11/10 Stanford and No. 20/24 Cal twice each while also taking on Boise State. The action begins Friday, March 1,1 against Cal at 3 p.m. ET, followed by Boise State at 5:30 p.m.

Head coach Tony Baldwin

On what it means to beat a team of Clemson’s talent..

“We’ve been talking about it since day one. That to beat these types of teams and that type of pitcher, you’ve just got to stay in it. You’ve got to be mentally strong enough to just keep staying in it. You’re going to get out on offense, right? So, we’re pretty good on the offensive side. We’re going to get out and sometimes you’ve got to deal with it. You’ve got to go out there and you’ve got to play great defense. I thought Ellie [Armistead] was outstanding on the defensive side. And that’s the thing I’m most proud of is just our resilience just to play comfortably under the strain of a close game.”

On the performance of the three pitchers – Kerpics, Walters and Backes – tonight…

“They’re all gritty. They’re so different. That’s a challenge for every team to go through those three. And I don’t think it’s the last time you’ll probably see us go that sort of a route against a good team.”

#99 Lilli Backes | LHP | Jr.

On how the pitching staff balances each other…

“We’re all just such good pitchers that I think it’s hard for other teams to prepare for all three different types of pitchers. I think we complement each other well.”

#8 Jayda Kearney | OF | Sr.

On her mindset coming up to the plate in a game-winning situation…

“I was looking for a pitch, obviously, more up in the zone, and I just wanted to get my swing off. For the most part, as long as I hit the ball hard and put it in play, Dallas [Goodnight] was scoring.”

#1 Dallis Goodnight | OF | Jr.

On her baserunning strategy during the last inning…

“In that last inning, you want to be aggressive if it’s a passed ball, but not too aggressive because it is an important run. So just seeing the ball and not doing too much or overthinking or trying to guess pitches. Just seeing the ball and playing the game.”

WBB: Georgia (12-15, 3-11 SEC) vs. LSU (24-4, 11-3 SEC) Thursday || 9 p.m. ET ||  Stegeman Coliseum  || ESPN2

TV: ESPN2 (Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck)

Listen: Jeff Dantzler (GeorgiaDogs.com, 960 AM The Ref or 103.7 FM)

Opening Tip

» Georgia hosts the seventh-ranked LSU Tigers at 9 p.m. this Thursday in a nationally televised game on ESPN2.

» This is Georgia’s Red Out game, with fans encouraged to wear red. 

» This is the second time in two weeks that Georgia has been featured on the ESPN family of networks. The Lady Bulldogs faced No. 1 South Carolina on ABC on Feb. 18 — that game drew the largest audience of any women’s basketball game on ABC this season. 

» Georgia is coming off its best offensive performance in SEC play this season. The Lady Bulldogs downed Florida, 76-60, on Sunday, with seniors accounting for 54 of Georgia’s points. 

» The Lady Bulldogs recorded 57 rebounds against the Gators this past Sunday. It marked the most rebounds  in a game for a Georgia team since 2021. 

» The Lady Bulldogs own a 27-26 lead in the all-time series against LSU, but have lost five-straight meetings against the Tigers. 

» Fifth-year senior forward Javyn Nicholson has scored 25 or more points in three-straight games. Nicholson is third in the SEC with 15 double-doubles and is one of four league players to rank in the top-10 in scoring and rebounding. 

» Georgia is in its second season under the leadership of Coach ABE. ABE’s successful first year included a NCAA tournament appearance, 22 wins, and a fifth-place finish in the final SEC standings. 

» The Lady Bulldogs were the only SEC squad to not have a single player enter the transfer portal this past offseason. 

»  Coach ABE’s teams have won 20 or more games in 11-straight seasons, while her 12 NCAA tournament appearances rank third among active SEC coaches, only behind Kim Mulkey (LSU) and Dawn Staley (South Carolina).

MGolf: Dawgs win the Puerto Rico Classic, Connor Creasy ties career low

By: Kaylin Vidal

In his first tournament of 2024 at the Puerto Rico Classic, Connor Creasy led the team by tying his career 54-hole low to seal Georgia’s win at the event. 

Creasy finished the tournament tied for third individually, his career-best finish with a 14-under, 202 total. He was one of two golfers in the event to record multiple eagles. This team win marked the team’s first since NCAA Bath Regional in May 2023. 

Creasy followed this up with his second-straight top-10 finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate this past weekend, tying for eighth.

“The biggest thing I learned about myself last year is that my good is good enough to compete with the best in the world,” graduate student Creasy said.

The Abingdon, Va. native earned SEC Golfer of the Week after the career performance in Puerto Rico, marking his first time winning the award and becoming the first Georgia golfer to receive the honor since 2022.

Creasy has shown exponential improvement since the fall. His top individual finish in the fall was 38th, but has since recorded consecutive top-10 finishes for the second time in his career. Over the four tournaments in the fall, Creasy averaged 71.7 per round and is now down to 70.3 in the spring semester.

“As he’s gotten older, we keep preaching to him to just believe in himself and go out there and play like there’s no tomorrow,” head coach Chris Haack said. “He’s someone who has embraced that. Connor plays with a lot more confidence now.” 

Creasy’s “no-brainer” choice to come to Georgia five years ago has caused him to become a team leader, as he has served as co-captain since 2022. Fast forward through eight semesters in the Classic City, the decision to return for a fifth year was an easy one for him. 

Creasy is the only men’s golfer who has spent all five years of his eligibility at Georgia. His leadership style has been developed because of the time he’s spent with Coach Haack and Associate Head Coach Jim Douglas.

“I more so lead by example,” Creasy said. “I’m not extremely vocal around the guys.” 

Coaches and teammates’ opinions on Creasy’s leadership reflect his.

“He’s just a good calming influence on everybody because he is such a good guy and has such a good demeanor,” Coach Haack said. “He’s just always a good example for anybody to emulate.”

Taking that extra year to learn from the coaches and his teammates has been the best way for him to get better before professional play. Although golf is an individualized team sport, Creasy believes each individual can help the team by just having fun with the game. Each year he has learned something new about himself and his team. 

Creasy’s goal for the team for his final collegiate season is to get a little better each week. He wants the team to learn more about themselves as individuals and as a team. The ultimate goal is for the team to peak at the SEC Championship, NCAA Regionals and the NCAA Championship. 

Raised on a golf course in his hometown, Creasy just got the itch to go out and hit some balls when he was younger. It has now turned into a career. After this season, Creasy hopes to follow in the footsteps of many other Bulldogs and play professionally. 

“I have to raise the bar to compete at such a high level often,” Creasy said. 

Next up, the Bulldogs will take a short trip to Greensboro to compete in the Linger Longer Invitational from March 17-19. The tournament will be held at the Great Waters Course at Lake Oconee. 

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