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SB: Dawgs Hammer Mercer, 18-1

No. 11 Georgia defeated Mercer, 18-1 (5 inn.), in a midweek clash at the Jack Turner Stadium to move to 24-8 on the season. 

SOFTBALL | vs. Mercer | W 18-1 (5 inn.)
Winning Pitcher: Presley Harrison (3-0)
Losing Pitcher: Grace Roark (2-6)

Fast Facts:

• LHP Ada Little started in the circle for the Bulldogs, recording four strikeouts across 2.0 innings. Presley Harrison, Destin Howard, and Maddie Johnson all pitched in relief to keep the Bears scoreless after the second inning. Harrison earned the win with her efficient third inning in which she struck out all three batters.
• The Bulldogs’ offense got an early start with four runs off four hits in the first inning. Georgia then tallied thirteen runs in the second inning, escalated by doubles from Gabi Novickas, Mollie Mitchell, and Brooke Smith. Senior Natalie Ray also homered, her second of the season. 
• The Bulldogs’ 18 runs is a season-high, as well as the team’s 17 hits. More, this marks the second time this season that Georgia has scored 11 or more runs in an inning (NC State on 2/13/26)
• Ray’s second hit of the evening was her 100^th career hit as a collegiate player.
• Mercer scored its lone run off a lead-off home run in the top of the second inning. 
• The Bulldogs are now 6-1 in midweek games and are 22-2 all-time against Mercer. Georgia now has six appearances where they have scored 10 or more runs.

Key Quotes:
Head Coach Tony Baldwin 
On their high-scoring performance…
“Ultimately, I thought it was our discipline. We’ve played in some of these games before where we end up expanding and getting ourselves out. I thought tonight we did a really good job of controlling the strike zone and forcing them to throw it over the plate. I thought we were pretty disciplined with our swings when we did attack. I thought Ada Little got us off to a great start in the circle, and then we strung together at-bats. A pretty clean Wednesday night on all of that. Excited that we got a lot of people in, and those players are going to be important to our future. They’ve been working hard, and so it was great to see them compete a little bit, as well.”

#44 Presley Harrison | Fr. | RHP
On the atmosphere…
“Y’all [Georgia fans] are the best because it’s so much fun to be out here playing for people who want to come and be a part of the big family that Georgia is. Like I’ve said before, this is truly such a blessing. Go Dawgs.” 

Up Next:
No. 11 Georgia will hit the road to face Kentucky in Lexington for the second away conference series of the season. 

WTEN: Anastasiia Lopata Named SEC Player of the Week

No. 28 Anastasiia Lopata powered No. 1 Georgia to a pair of statement SEC sweeps, going undefeated in doubles and clinching a victory in singles as the Bulldogs blanked No. 17 Florida and No. 4 Auburn, 4-0, to remain atop the conference.

Anastasiia Lopata delivered a standout week in leading No. 1 Georgia to a pair of dominant SEC wins over No. 17 Florida (4-0) and No. 4 Auburn (4-0). Lopata went undefeated in doubles play, partnering with Patricija Paukstyte for a 4-match winning streak, including three consecutive wins over ranked opponents. The duo notched a 6-2 victory over Florida’s No. 34 Xinyi Nong and Nikola Daubernova and followed with a 6-4 win against Auburn’s No. 16 DJ Bennett and Ava Esposito. Their win over Auburn clinched the doubles point for Georgia and snapped the Tigers’ streak of 25 consecutive doubles points won this season. In singles, Lopata clinched the Bulldogs’ victory over Auburn with a decisive 6-3, 6-2 straight-set win against No. 43 DJ Bennett at the No. 2 position, who was ranked No. 1 in the country back in August. Across the week, Lopata contributed to two shutout wins over top-20 SEC opponents, playing a key role in both doubles and singles to maintain Georgia’s position at the top of the conference.

Results- Team

3/19                 Florida (17)                                                                 W 4-0

3/21                 Auburn (4)                                                                  W 4-0

Singles

3/19                 India Houghton (60), Florida (17)                              UF 0-6, 4-3

3/21                 DJ Bennett (43), Auburn (4)                                       W 6-3, 6-2

Doubles

3/19                 Nong/Daubernova (34), Florida (17)                          W 6-2

3/21                 Bennett/Esposito (16), Auburn (4)                             W 6-4

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