SOFTBALL: UGA Opens Bama Series with 5-3 Win
The 15th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs defeated No. 4 Alabama Saturday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium in game one of the series, 5-3.
Georgia climbs to 31-5 on the season and 5-2 in SEC play. Georgia has won all three SEC series openers this season. The win snaps an eight-game losing skid to the Crimson Tide.
“I’m really proud of our team,” said head coach Tony Baldwin. “I thought we were competitive and stayed present the entire game. Madison [Kerpics] was outstanding and in control for seven innings. I thought Chelsea [Wilkinson] and JT [D’Amico] had a really good game plan and made some really good adjustments as the game went along. It’s a good win for sure. Now we need to recover and get ready to go again tomorrow.”
Sophomore Madison Kerpics (12-2) went the distance in the circle, pitching seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits, striking out six Alabama batters.
The Bulldogs’ offense scattered eight hits, led by two from redshirt-junior Jaiden Fields. Junior Sydney Kuma knocked a two-run home run in the sixth that proved to be the difference-maker in the contest.
Georgia was sat down in order the first time through its lineup but broke through with three runs on four hits in the top of the fourth. With one out, Fields registered Georgia’s first hit then Sara Mosley followed with a walk. A Lacey Fincher double to the wall in left-center broke the 0-0 tie. Jayda Kearney dropped a single into left, plating the second run. Aniyah Black got a two-out single past a diving second baseman, driving in the third run of the inning for the Bulldogs, 3-0.
Ally Shipman hit a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the inning to put the Tide on the board, 3-1.
The Tide (29-5, 6-4) rallied with two outs in the home half of the fifth, loading the bases. Kerpics worked out of the jam unscathed to preserve the two-run lead.
A two-out, two-run home run to dead center off the bat of Kuma widened Georgia’s lead to 5-1 in the top of the sixth. It was Kuma’s eighth home run of the season.
With two out in the bottom of the inning, a two-run double kept the inning alive and sliced Georgia’s lead to two, 5-3.
Kerpics slammed the door shut on the Crimson Tide in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win in game one.
Game two between the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide is set for Sunday afternoon. First pitch on SEC Network is slated for 4 p.m., EDT.
MGOLF: Georgia To Conclude Regular Season at Calusa Cup
The Georgia men’s golf team will conclude the regular-season portion of the schedule next week in the Calusa Cup in Naples, Fla.
Schedule and format: Georgia and the other squads will have 18 holes of stroke play Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
Course: Calusa Pines Golf Club (par 72, 7,320 yards).
Field: Georgia, Iowa, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Florida, Wake Forest, Clemson, Purdue, and Marquette.
Lineup: Senior Trent Phillips, juniors Nicolas Cassidy and Ben van Wyk, and freshmen Buck Brumlow and Maxwell Ford.
Live Results: Golfstat will provide live scoring, pairings, and tee times.
Rankings: No. 8 Golfstat, No. 9 Golfweek/Sagarin, No. 10 Bushnell Golfweek Coaches.
Last Time: The Bulldogs won the Linger Longer Invitational in Eatonton, Ga., as Phillips came in second, van Wyk was third, and Ford landed in fourth.
Coach Chris Haack Says: “It’s been a solid spring for us, and the win in the Linger Longer was a real shot in the arm, especially for the new guys who had not experienced that feeling yet. We’ve got a lot of momentum and confidence heading into the Calusa Cup and hopefully we can keep it going into the postseason. Our team has high aspirations these next few weeks, so we have to stay dialed in.”
News & Notes: Calusa Pines Golf Club is ranked third in Florida and 74th nationally. … Ford has been named SEC Freshman of the Week three times this spring. … Phillips picked up the third SEC Player of the Week honor in his career after the Linger Longer Invitational. … Phillips was named to the 30-man watch list for the Hogan Award. … Cassidy is serving this year on Georgia’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, while junior Connor Creasy and senior Will Kahlstorf are on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. … van Wyk’s last name is pronounced fun-vake. … Ford represented the Bulldogs in the Patriot All-America, wherein the players carry a bag that includes the name and branch of service of a fallen or severely wounded soldier. … Phillips is rated No. 7 in the Velocity Global Ranking, No. 10 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, and No. 12 by Golfweek/Sagarin. … Phillips has appeared in 37 of 37 collegiate tournaments.
On Deck: After the Calusa Cup, the Bulldogs will compete in the SEC Championship April 20-24 on St. Simons Island.
WGOLF: Dawgs To End Regular Season Against UVA
The Georgia women’s golf team will conclude regular-season play on Sunday when the 27th-ranked Bulldogs host No. 8 Virginia for a match play competition at the University of Georgia Golf Course.
Each team’s lineup will feature six golfers. Three separate foursomes will tee off beginning at 11:24 a.m., with each pairing featuring two matches.
Competing for Georgia will be Alison Crenshaw and Zoë Walker in the first tee time, with Céleste Dao and Candice Mahé following them and LoraLie Cowart and Caterina Don playing in the third quartet.
Following Sunday’s match, the Bulldogs will prepare for the SEC and NCAA Championships.
Georgia will open play in the SEC Championships on Wednesday, April 13 at Greystone Golf and Country Club outside Birmingham, Ala. The Bulldogs have won a league-leading 11 SEC team titles in women’s golf, while eight Georgia golfers have claimed SEC individual crowns.
The SECs will feature 54 holes of stroke play qualifying, which will also determine the tournament’s individual medalist. The top-8 teams from stroke play will advance to a bracketed match play competition, with quarterfinals and semifinals on April 16 and the final on April 17. The SEC Championship match will be televised live by the SEC Network from 8:30-1:00.
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