Another ranked conference opponent awaits the Bulldogs this weekend, as the No. 15 Georgia softball team (26-4, 2-1) heads to Baton Rouge for an SEC series against No. 11 LSU (24-7, 1-2).
The weekend kicks off on Friday with a 7 p.m. ET first pitch. The teams then face off on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET before wrapping the series on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. All games will be featured on SEC Network+/WatchESPN while live stat links available at georgiadogs.com.
– Game Notes –
LOOKING BACK ON SEC OPENER
The Bulldogs posted their first SEC series win of the season, taking two games from No. 17 Kentucky at home last weekend. Georgia hit .293 as a team, guided by sophomore Lacey Sumerlin and junior Cortni Emanuel. Sumerlin hit .800 with five RBI for the series while C. Emanuel tabbed a team-best seven hits. In the circle, junior Brittany Gray did a majority of the work, throwing 15 innings with three runs allowed, as she took a save and win. Sophomore Kylie Bass collected the other win after appearing for three frame of relief in game two, as she finished with four hits, two runs and three strikeouts.
SUMERLIN NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Guiding the Georgia offense in a series win over No. 17 Kentucky, Sumerlin earned the SEC Player of the Week. Sumerlin hit .800 in the three-game series to go with a 1.800 slugging percentage and .909 on-base percentage. The sophomore posted four hits in five official at-bats with three going for extra bases. Her hot bat put pressure on the Wildcat pitching staff, as she walked six times over the three games, including three times in the series finale to tie her career high. Sumerlin’s second grand slam of the season put Georgia ahead for good in its first win of the weekend. She also provided an RBI double in game one of the series.
GEORGIA COMES IN AT 17 IN NCAA RPI
The NCAA released its first RPI of the season, as Georgia came in at No. 17. Among SEC teams, Georgia is the seventh highest with four of its 2017 league opponents ranking higher. This weekend’s opponent, LSU, came in at the No. 13 spot while last weekend’s, Kentucky, is slightly below the Bulldogs at No. 19. Georgia is 12-4 against the top 100, including 3-2 versus the top 25 with wins over Ohio State and Kentucky. The SEC leads in the conference RPI.
GRAY MOVES UP CAREER SAVES LIST
Gray came in to seal the deal in game two against Kentucky with a perfect seventh inning, as she tabbed her first save of the year. The save gave Gray the sixth of career, moving her up to a tie for second in the all-time rankings. Kasi Carroll, who played from 2004-07, holds the top spot with 10 saves in her career.
CORTNI TABS 200TH CAREER HIT
With seven hits in the Kentucky series, C. Emanuel surpassed the 200-career hits plateau, as she now has 203 over her three-year career. The Texas native is closing in on the career top 10 list, as she sister, Sydni Emanuel, is 10th with 209 hits and Brianna Hesson, who played from 2008-11, is at ninth with 213. C. Emanuel’s hit total has improved each year, as she finished with 78 as a freshman and 82 last season, which was a team high. The outfielder has 43 so far this season.