The 15th-ranked University of Georgia softball team secured its fourth Southeastern Conference series win Sunday with a 3-2 victory over #14 South Carolina.
In the circle, Kylie Bass (10-3) pitched six innings in her start, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out two. Bass took a no-hit bid into the fifth inning Sunday. Mary Wilson Avant earned her third save of the season, pitching a 1-2-3 seventh inning to close the game.
The Bulldog (36-16, 9-12) offense out hit South Carolina (35-14, 8-12) 5-4 in the finale. Justice Milz earned two hits, both doubles, to finish 2-for-3. The top three of the order all recorded a hit. Freshman Lacey Fincher went hitless but recorded two RBI with a pair of sacrifice flies, including driving in the winning run.
With Ciara Bryan standing on first with one out in the third, the shortstop couldn’t handle a ball off the bat of Alyssa DiCarlo and it rolled into centerfield, allowing Bryan to score. On the play, the shortstop’s throw to the plate was off the mark, allowing DiCarlo to take third. After a hit batsman, Fincher flied out to right, giving DiCarlo the opportunity to tag up and score, widening the Bulldog lead to 2-0.
Bass took her no-hit bid into the fifth with one out before South Carolina’s Lauren Stewart ended it with a solo home run down the left field line, cutting the Georgia lead in half, 2-1.
A two-out RBI triple in the bottom of the sixth by Kennedy Clark knotted the game up at two all heading to the seventh inning.
Georgia immediately responded in the top of the seventh inning. DiCarlo reached by drawing a one-out walk. Alysen Febrey picked up a double to put runners in scoring position. Once again, DiCarlo tagged up and scored on a sacrifice fly by Fincher, giving the Bulldogs the one-run, 3-2 lead.
Avant entered to close the game in the bottom of the seventh, retiring the Gamecocks in order and clinching the series for Georgia.
The Bulldogs will bring a close to the regular season next weekend with a three-game series against #17 Ole Miss. The series will begin on Friday at 6 p.m. at Jack Turner Stadium.