An eight-inning affair ended with the 13th-ranked Georgia softball team falling to the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide, 2-1, in the second round of the SEC Tournament Thursday at Davis Diamond.
Georgia was led offensively by two-hit performances from Alyssa DiCarlo and Alysen Febrey. Both Bulldogs had a double and a single, combining for Georgia’s four hits.
Mary Wilson Avant pitched three and a third innings in her start in the circle, allowing a run on two hits. Alley Cutting relieved Avant and worked two and two-thirds scoreless frames. Kylie Bass (12-4) entered with a runner on first in the bottom of the seventh inning, retiring the next three to send the game into extra innings. Bass suffered the loss, allowing the walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
DiCarlo broke up Alabama’s no-hit bid in the top of the fourth with a leadoff double. She immediately came in to score on a double ripped down the left field line by Febrey to take a 1-0 lead on the Tide.
A leadoff walk, an error, and a hit batsman led to trouble for Avant in the bottom half of the inning. A one-out bases-loaded walk tied the game at a run each. Cutting entered and worked to wiggle out of the jam and preserve the tie. The inning ended on a highlight reel catch by Ciara Bryan to strand the bases loaded.
The Bulldog pitching staff and defense worked to strand six Tide runners on in the next three innings, preserving the 1-1 tie and sending the game into extra innings.
DiCarlo and Febrey both reached on two-out singles in the top of the eighth but were stranded on in the frame.
Alabama’s Skylar Wallace walked off with a solo home run to right center, securing the 2-1 victory over the Bulldogs.
Georgia will await the NCAA Tournament Selection Show Sunday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN 2.
