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BSB: Dawgs Clinch Missouri Series
Ninth-ranked Georgia clinched an SEC road series with a 5-2 win over Missouri Saturday at Taylor Stadium.
Fast Facts
• Junior Kolten Smith (4-2) pitched five innings and allowed two runs on two hits with seven strikeouts for his latest win. He retired 12 consecutive Tigers after allowing a two-out, two-run home run in the first.
• Sophomore Daniel Jackson put the Bulldogs in front 3-2 with a two-run home run, his 10th of the year, in the sixth inning. It was part of a four-run outburst that featured a pair of bases-loaded walks to Robbie Burnett and Cade Brown.
• Georgia cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fifth on an RBI-double by Burnett, scoring Nolan McCarthy who led off the frame with a double. McCarthy registered his third outfield assist of the season in the sixth, throwing out a Tiger trying to score.
• Senior Slate Alford extended his on-base streak to 32 games with a walk in the first. He has reached base safely in 48 of 49 games this year.
• Junior Zach Harris pitched the ninth and became the eighth different Bulldog with a save on the year.
Key Quotes
Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson
On the game
“Kolten has elite feel. He was pitching great, and then we had that long inning, and he wanted to go back out there in the sixth. There was a couple of right-handed hitters to start the inning and then we decided to go to the bullpen. He did a good job tonight. It was a cold night, but Kolten is fine. Nolan McCarthy made some big plays tonight, the double down the line, throwing a runner at home. Nolan is a veteran in this league and you can’t put a price on what he does for this team. Alton (Davis II), JT (Quinn) and Zach (Harris) took care of the final four innings with no walks and seven strikeouts.”
Box Score
Up Next
Georgia (38-11, 14-9 SEC) and Missouri (13-33, 0-23 SEC) wrap up the series Sunday with first pitch at 2:02 p.m. EDT on SEC Network+.
SB: Missouri Takes Series
SOFTBALL | at MISSOURI | L, 1-0
Winning pitcher: Cierra Harrison (10-8)
Save: Taylor Pannell (3)
Losing Pitcher: Lilli Backes (13-9)
Season Record: 30-19, 7-16 SEC
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Georgia Bulldogs fell to the Missouri Tigers in Saturday’s series finale, 1-0.
Georgia concludes the 2025 regular season 30-9 on the season and 7-16 in SEC play.
FAST FACTS
- Lilli Backes pitched four innings in her start, allowing three hits and one run, a solo home run in the bottom of the second. She struck out five and walked one.
- Dallis Goodnight and Tyler Ellison were responsible for a hit each at the top of the Georgia order.
- Destin Howard and Randi Roelling each pitched a scoreless, hitless inning in relief on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Georgia will await its seeding and opponent in the SEC Tournament in Athens. The Bulldogs will open play in the postseason on Tuesday at Jack Turner Stadium on SEC Network.
WTEN: Dawgs Blank Tech, Advance To Super Regionals
The No. 1 Georgia women’s tennis team (25-3, 13-2 SEC) punched their ticket to the NCAA Super Regionals after knocking off No. 29 Georgia Tech (14-12, 6-6 ACC), 4-0, in the NCAA Regional second round at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on Saturday.
Fast Facts
- The Bulldogs secured their 100th NCAA Tournament win all-time.
- Georgia now leads the all-time series 32-6, having won each of its last eight meetings while taking 14 of the previous 16 matches.
- The Bulldogs have now won 16 of their 32 all-time victories over the Yellow Jackets via sweep.
- The Bulldogs remain an undefeated 9-0 in tournament-style competition this season.
- Georgia earned the doubles point to open the afternoon as the #68 tandem of Guillermina Grant and Anastasiia Lopata struck first with a 6-4 win over Kate Sharabura and Alejandra Cruz on court two. On court three, Aysegul Mert and Hayden Mulberry came out on top after defeating Taly Licht and Given Roach, 6-4, to earn the doubles point for the Bulldogs.
- #74 Grant was the first to finish in singles, defeating Licht, 6-3, 6-3, on court five to double Georgia’s lead to 2-0.
- #42 Mert was next to cross the finish line, earning a 6-2, 6-3 win over Roach on court four to put the Bulldogs one point away from victory.
- Sofia Rojas closed out the afternoon with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Olivia Carneiro on court six for the clinch to send the Bulldogs to the Super Regionals.
Key Quotes:
Head Coach Drake Bernstein:
On today’s regional win:
“Great crowd here. Rowdy from the start. I think that we matched the crowd’s energy with our doubles. We were focused. We were poised throughout. Really happy with how we served it out on two courts there in doubles and then came out pretty quick getting five first sets in singles. I think that’s a big deal when we get that point in our pocket. It’s a testament to how far our doubles have come and the work that we’ve done there and Jarryd [Chaplin]’s coaching there. Fun day in Athens.”
On the team playing in Athens one more time this season:
“It’s fun when you know that it’s your last one. Today you don’t want it to be your last one. Being able to plan on it being the last one, we know want to send these seniors out with an exclamation point. We’re excited for one more week of training and a big Friday night match here.”
Sophomore Aysegul Mert
On today’s regional win:
“I think we started with a lot of energy in doubles across all three courts and it helped us get off to a great start. It was very clean from start to finish. We knew we were playing a great, competitive team, so I felt like we were at our best in doubles and that helped us get off to a quick start in singles as well. Especially on my own court, she was serving pretty well so we both had serves up until the middle of the first set, but I tried to just stick to my game. I had a clear game plan before the match, so I’m glad I could stick to it. The second set was a little bit more competitive than the first set, but I think overall as a team we did a great job of supporting each other, playing together and using the crowd, so I think that was a pretty good performance.”
Results
Doubles:
1. #1 Dasha Vidmanova/Mell Reasco (UGA) def. #55 Kylie Bilchev/Scarlett Nicholson (GT), 3-5 unfinished
2. #68 Guillermina Grant/Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) vs. Kate Sharabura/Alejandra Cruz (GT), 6-4
3. Aysegul Mert/Hayden Mulberry (UGA) def. Taly Licht/Given Roach (GT), 6-4
Singles:
1. #2 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) vs. #28 Scarlett Nicholson (GT), 6-1, 2-6, 5-0 unfinished
2. #17 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) vs. #90 Alejandra Cruz (GT), 6-4, 5-5 unfinished
3. Mell Reasco (UGA) vs. Kate Sharabura (GT), 5-7, 6-2, 3-2 unfinished
4. #42 Aysegul Mert (UGA) def. Given Roach (GT), 6-2, 6-3
5. #74 Guillermina Grant (UGA) def. Taly Licht (GT), 6-3, 6-3
6. Sofia Rojas (UGA) vs. Olivia Carneiro (GT), 6-4, 7-5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (5,4,6)
Up Next
Georgia will prepare to host the NCAA Super Regionals where it will face the winner between 16-seed Washington and California on May 9-10 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
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