Georgia outfielder Cortni Emanuel (1) and Georgia outfielder Maeve McGuire (17) cheer on Georgia infielder Alex Hugo (16) as she runs to home plate during an NCAA softball game between Georgia and Elon at Jack Turner Stadium on February 12, 2015 in Athens, Ga.(Photo by Emily Selby)
On its opening day of the Disney Citrus Classic, the No. 10 Georgia softball team earned two run-rule wins, closing out Omaha (3-3) 13-0 and Stetson (4-2) 9-0 on Friday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
For the day, Maeve McGuire led the bats with four hits, including two doubles, while Sydni Emanuel also hit .667 after going 2-for-3 with a pair of walks. Tina Iosefa finished with a team-best seven RBI. In the circle, Georgia’s pitching staff held opponents to a .118 batting average with four hits while striking out 12.
The Bulldogs continue play at the tournament on Saturday against Stephen F. Austin at 3:30 p.m. ET and Jacksonville State following the contest against the Ladyjacks. Live stat links can be found at georgiadogs.com.
GAME ONE—No. 10 Georgia 13, Omaha 0 (5)
Chelsea Wilkinson (3-0) threw a stellar performance against the Mavericks in game one. After tossing a perfect game against Omaha last season, the senior returned to take a two-hit, eight-strikeout win. The lone hit came with two outs in the first while the only other baserunner allowed came off of a Georgia miscue in the fifth.
Georgia capitalized on 10 hits and four Omaha errors to score its runs, led by S. Emanuel, Kaylee Puailoa and McGuire with two hits each. Alex Hugo and Iosefa both notched a trio of RBI after posting home runs. Hugo sent one over left field in her first at-bat while Iosefa tallied a three-run shot in her final plate appearance.
Runs came in each frame for Georgia with Hugo, Alyssa DiCarlo, McGuire and Lacey Sumerlin scoring two each. The Bulldogs’ biggest offensive inning came in the fourth, scoring seven runs on five hits. Iosefa’s home run brought in three runs while McGuire, Sumerlin and Hugo each added RBI in the inning.
CLICK HERE FOR FINAL STATS VS OMAHA
GAME TWO—No. 10 Georgia 9, Stetson 0 (5)
A five-run second inning boosted Georgia to its sixth-straight run-rule victory, winning 9-0 over Stetson in Friday’s final game.
Georgia had nine hits, nine RBI and eight walks against the Hatters with Iosefa leading the way after collecting four RBI and a pair of hits. S. Emanuel and Cortni Emanuel both scored two runs each in the contest.
In the circle, Brittany Gray (3-0) and Kylie Bass combined for the shutout. Gray went the first three innings, giving up two hits and a walk while striking out one. Bass finished the game with three strikeouts and a walk in two innings of action.
In that explosive second inning, a walk and single put two on before Katie Browne ripped a shot down the third base line to score Puailoa. Wild pitches advanced the runners on base with a C. Emanuel walk loading them up for a Hugo walk to bring in the second score. Iosefa then tabbed a bases-clearing double to score the frame’s final runs.
CLICK HERE FOR FINAL STATS VS STETSON
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