A total of five Bulldog errors ultimately led to 13th-ranked Georgia softball’s series finale loss at #5 Alabama Monday evening, 4-3.
Kylie Bass (7-3) pitched a complete game for the Bulldogs (30-14, 5-10) in the circle. She allowed four runs, all of which were unearned, to the Tide on four hits. She struck out five in her start.
At the plate, the Bulldogs and Tide each recorded four hits. Sophomore Tyler Armistead highlighted the offense Monday, hitting a two-run home run in the fifth to tie the game, her first career home run.
A pair of throwing errors on a Tide (42-4, 11-4) sacrifice bunt attempt allowed the first run of the game to score. On the play, the batter, Claire Jenkins, ended up on third. Jenkins tagged up and scored on a sac fly to left, widening the Tide lead to 2-0 in the second. Two more Bulldog errors allowed another Alabama run to score in the third inning, 3-0 Tide.
As the fourth inning drew to a close, senior Alyssa DiCarlo was drafted as the number four overall pick of the National Pro Fastpitch Draft to the Chicago Bandits.
The Bulldogs broke through in the top half of the fifth. Alysen Febrey singled back up the middle to begin the frame then was bunted over by Mahlena O’Neal. Febrey came in to score on Savana Sikes’ double laced down the left field line, breaking up the shutout, 3-1. With two out, Armistead, an Alabama native, drove her first career home run over the wall in left field to knot the game up at 3-3.
Georgia held the Tide scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings. The bottom of the seventh began with Georgia’s fifth error, allowing leadoff hitter Elissa Brown to reach third. Kaylee Tow drove in Brown with a single to left, plating the winning run and completing the sweep of the Bulldogs.
Georgia returns to Jack Turner Stadium for a five-game homestand beginning Wednesday when the Bulldogs host rival Georgia Tech. First pitch against the Yellow Jackets is slated for 7 p.m. on SEC Network.
