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SEC Softball Tournament: Georgia advances with 6-5 win over Auburn at Auburn
The 14th-ranked Georgia softball team defeated the Auburn Tigers Wednesday evening 6-5 in a 14-inning marathon in the first round of the 2024 SEC Tournament at Jane B. Moore Field.
Auburn (27-19-1) hit a three-run home run in the top of the 14th inning to go ahead 5-2. Georgia put the first two on in the bottom of the inning, then Jayda Kearney hit a three-run home run to tie the game, 5-5. Sarah Gordon then knocked a two-out solo home run to walk off the Tigers, 6-5.
Georgia advances to Thursday’s quarterfinal round to face (2) Florida. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
Season Record: 39-15, 12-12 SEC
Winning pitcher: Madison Kerpics (12-2)
Losing pitcher: Shelby Lowe (8-5)
Fast Facts
• This was Georgia’s longest game since the program record 15-inning game at LSU on April 27, 2012. Georgia won that game 1-0.
• Two games on Wednesday went to 14 innings (LSU vs. Alabama; Georgia vs. Auburn), both of which tied the longest games in SEC Tournament history.
• This was Georgia’s first SEC Tournament win since 2019 (vs. Arkansas; College Station, Texas) and the first for head coach Tony Baldwin.
• Lilli Backes worked 6.2 innings in her start and was relieved by Madison Kerpics, who pitched 7.1 innings, nearly a career-long, in her first appearance since April 14.
• Georgia remains undefeated against Auburn (3-0) in the SEC Tournament.
• Dallis Goodnight tied a season-high three hits at the top of the order.
• Georgia improves to 17-0 when scoring in the first inning.
Key Quotes
Head Coach Tony Baldwin
On Wednesday’s wild game…
“I’m really proud of the ‘scrap, fight, and find a way.’ Lilli [Backes] and Madi [Kerpics] were so competitive in the circle, and I’m so excited to see Madi get back out there and do her thing. While it took a while, we had a lot of competitive at-bats tonight. Just so proud of our team and their fight and we’ll get back after it tomorrow.”
Video Highlights
Up Next
Georgia advances to Thursday’s quarterfinal round to face (2) Florida. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
BSB: Bulldogs begin an SEC road series with No. 14 South Carolina Thursday
Georgia (35-12, 13-11 SEC) and South Carolina (33-15, 13-11 SEC) are tied for third in the SEC Eastern Division and for sixth place overall in the SEC. Both teams have already secured a spot in the SEC Tournament later this month. First pitch is slated for 8:02 p.m. on ESPN2 and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
Stay Hot: The Bulldogs rank third nationally with a school record 122 home runs. The old mark was 109 by the 2009 club in 62 games. Also, this year’s squad has hit a school record 10 grand slams. Georgia is third nationally with a .601 slugging percentage and .440 on base percentage. The Bulldogs are batting .306 with a 5.31 team ERA and a .975 fielding percentage. Georgia went 4-0 last week and used the same nine position players throughout the sweep of No. 13 Vanderbilt with no substitutions. Also, a total of eight pitchers saw action against the Commodores. The Gamecocks are batting .277 with 78 home runs, a .490 SLG% and .421 OB%. USC owns a 4.49 ERA and a .974 FLDG%.
Top Hitters: The Bulldog offense is headlined by sophomore All-America Charlie Condon. The potential top draft pick in 2024 according to MLB.com, he leads the NCAA with a .459 batting average, a school record 33 home runs (T2nd in SEC single season history), 200 total bases, and a 1.105 SLG%. He has a .568 OB% (third nationally) with 41 walks (18 intentional) and 69 RBI. He has hit a home run in seven consecutive games and has an 18-game hitting streak. Senior Corey Collins is enjoying a fine year at .352-14-43 while leading the country with a .591 OB%. He ranks fourth nationally with an SEC-leading and school record 23 HBP this year. Freshman Tre Phelps checks in at .378-5-23. Condon has smashed a school record 58 career home runs in only 103 games This season, Condon has had seven games with multiple home runs including a school record-tying three home runs against Michigan State.
USC’s top hitters are Cole Messina (.314-15-50), Blake Jackson (.311-4-21) and Ethan Petry (.301-19-48). USC is 57-for-69 in stolen base attempts.
Vandy Series Photo Gallery
Starting Rotation: Georgia’s rotation will feature sophomore left-hander Jarvis Evans (3-1, 4.29 ERA) on Thursday and sophomore right-hander Leighton Finley (4-1, 4.63 ERA) on Friday. USC will counter with redshirt sophomore right-hander Roman Kimball (2-1, 4.61 ERA) on Thursday followed by junior right-hander Eli Jones (3-3, 4.53 ERA) on Friday. Both teams are TBA for Saturday.
Series History: South Carolina leads the series 71-66 going back to 1896. USC swept Georgia in Athens last year and then ended the Bulldogs season at the SEC Tournament with a 9-0 decision. Georgia’s last series win came in 2022 in Columbia, winning two of three. One of the most memorable matchups in the series came in a 2006 NCAA Super Regional in Athens. The Gamecocks beat the Bulldogs in game one 15-6 when they hit an NCAA record five consecutive home runs. However, Georgia stormed back with an 11-5 win in game two and an 11-6 triumph in game three to advance to the College World Series.
Georgia In The Top 25 Polls: An array of top 25 polls are released each week. In the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, the Bulldogs are No. 12 while USC is No. 14.
Game Notes and Media Guide
Georgia Game Notes Link: https://georgiadogs.com/documents/2024/5/8/GeorgiaNotesMay8.pdf
Georgia Baseball Media Guide Link: https://issuu.com/georgiadogs/docs/24bsb_mediaguide
Radio/TV/Live Stats Links for Georgia-USC Series
Thursday @ 8:02 p.m. ET
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston)
https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4606&type=Live
TV: ESPN2 (Sam Ravech & Lance Cormier)
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/c81169d7-b92b-484b-aa92-26f286133cab
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=506422
Friday @ 5:32 p.m. ET
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston)
https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4607&type=Live
TV: SEC Network (Sam Ravech & Lance Cormier)
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ecdb930c-0e40-4425-92a8-5ebbbc7fb9de
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=506423
Saturday @ 2:02 p.m. ET
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston)
https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4608&type=Live
TV: SECN+ (Dave Weinstein & Grayson Griner)
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/7dec0e08-965c-41dd-b3a2-b2983429098a
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=506424
List: UGA Class of 2024 features 109 student-athletes
The undergraduate ceremony will take place Friday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. at Sanford Stadium, while the graduate ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 9 at 10 a.m., at Stegeman Coliseum.
The following student-athletes are scheduled for graduation:
Baseball
Dwight Allen (Communication Studies), Collin Caldwell (Consumer Economics), Corey Collins (Criminal Justice & Sociology), Maxwell De Jong (Sport Management), Zachary DeVito (Sport Management), Charles Goldstein (Risk Management and Insurance), Fernando Gonzalez (Sport Management), Mitchell Mercer (Financial Planning), Sebastian Murillo (Consumer Economics), William Pearson (Sport Management), Robert Spikes (Mechanical Engineering), Cole Wagner (Finance), Skyler Weber (Sport Management)
Men’s Basketball
Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Communication Studies), Frank Anselem-Ibe (Sport Management), Justin Hill (Consumer Economics), Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (Communication Studies)
Women’s Basketball
Kara Braxton-Jackson (Communication Studies), Zoesha Smith (Human Development and Family Science)
Equestrian
Leah Anderson (Finance), Nora Andrews (Psychology), Kennedy Bryant (Landscape Architecture), Hayley Freeman (Marketing), Grace Himes (Accounting), Harper Lawson (Journalism), Hannah Jane Lucas (Nutritional Sciences), Sophie Lucas (Agricultural Communication), Caitlin Lyons (French), Bay Noland-Armstrong (Fisheries and Wildlife), Sophia Pilla (Marketing), Emma Reichow (Finance), Savannah Relicl (Accounting), Ada Rohan (Management Information Systems), Kaitlyn Schindler (Management Information Systems), Hannah Smith (Marketing), Isabelle Song (Human Development and Family Science), Jennifer Staniloff (Risk Management and Insurance), Hazel Taylor (Landscape Architecture), Spencer Toohill (Masters in International Policy)
Football
Carson Beck (Sport Management), Cade Brock (Agribusiness), Luke Collins (Financial Planning), Braxton Hicks (Sport Management), Charles Lindberg (Masters in Business Analytics), Brandon Moody (Sociology), Jackson Muschamp (Consumer Economics), Tate Ratledge (Sport Management), Arian Smith (Housing Management & Policy), Patrick Taylor (Political Science), George Vining (Biology)
Men’s Golf
John Herman (Sport Management), Benjamin Van Wyk (Risk Management and Insurance)
Women’s Golf
Caterina Don (Mathematics), Isabella Holpfer (Public Relations), Bernice Ilas (Journalism), Napat Lertsadwattana (Financial Planning)
Gymnastics
Nhyla Bryant (Health Promotion), Amanda Cashman (Communication Studies), Vanessa Deniz (Communication Studies), Katie Finnegan (Psychology), Rachael Lukacs (Masters in Social Work), Emily Schild (Masters in Kinesiology)
Soccer
Madison Haugen (Risk Management and Insurance), Mallie McKenzie (Masters in Financial Planning), Alexis Parker (Sport Management), Tori Penn (Art), Taylor Rish (Finance & Sport Management), Lauren Swoopes (Biology), Dasia Torbert (Psychology), Joyelle Washington (Psychology)
Softball
Ellie Armistead (Sport Management), Sydney Chambley (Human Development and Family Science), Lyndi Davis (Sport Management), Hayley Eaton (Exercise and Sport Science), Jayda Kearney (Communication Studies), Madison Kerpics (Exercise and Sport Science), Sara Mosley (Human Development and Family Science), Riley Orcutt (Sport Management), Shelby Walters (Masters in Kinesiology)
Men’s Swimming and Diving
Zachary Franklin (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), Ian Grum (Sport Management), Zachary Hils (Real Estate), Jacob Magahey (Finance), TJ Pittenger (Environmental Resource Science)
Women’s Swimming and Diving
Jillian Barczyk (Regenerative Bioscience), Hailey Galbraith (Psychology), Zoie Hartman (Psychology), Sloane Reinstein (Advertising), Emilia Sansome (Masters in Nutritional Sciences), Julianna Stephens (Human Development and Family Science), Meghan Wenzel (Human Development and Family Science)
Men’s Track and Field
John Franco (Biology), Wesley John (Masters in Kinesiology), Alexander Kolesnikoff (Masters in Accounting), Marc Anthony Minichello (Masters in Law)
Women’s Track and Field
Samantha Aromin (Criminal Justice & Sociology), Charlotte Augenstein (Biology), Sophia Baker (Health Promotion), Ana Da Silva (Psychology), Grace Ellsworth (Social Work), Erin McMeniman (Masters in Public Administration), Dominique Mustin (Communication Studies), Gracie O’Neal (Dietetics), Zoe Pollock (Masters in Geography), Michaela Prevallet (Genetics), Morgan Vaden (Communication Sciences and Disorder), Mikeisha Welcome (Political Science)
Volleyball
Sophia Fischer (Sociology), Erica Staunton (Masters Business Analytics)
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