The 12th-ranked Georgia softball team held on to defeat #14 Auburn in the series opener Friday evening, 7-6, at Jane B. Moore Field.
The win for Georgia snaps an eight-game losing streak to Auburn, dating back to Apr. 20, 2014.
Senior Alyssa DiCarlo broke Georgia’s all-time RBI record in the first inning, plating her 237th-career RBI. She broke Alisa Goler’s previous record of 236 set from 2008-11. The Southeastern Conference record is 270, held Auburn’s Kasey Cooper (2014-17).
DiCarlo, along with freshman Lacey Fincher, each scattered a pair of hits in Friday’s tilt. DiCarlo and Ciara Bryan also had two RBI.
In her seventh start in the circle, Lauren Mathis (6-2) worked four complete innings, allowing a trio of runs on only two hits. She struck out five in her outing. Alley Cutting entered and pitched the final three innings en route to her first save.
The Bulldogs started the game with a four-spot in the first inning. CJ Landrum started the game by reaching on an error by the pitcher. DiCarlo started the scoring, lacing a double down the left field line, scoring Landrum from first. Fincher singled over the first baseman, putting Bulldogs on the corners. DiCarlo tagged up and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Mahlena O’Neal, 2-0 Georgia. Bryan hit her third home run in as many games, a two-run shot off the video board in left-center, widening the lead to 4-0 on the Tigers in the opening frame.
Georgia’s early lead was sliced to one in the home half of the inning when Kendall Veach hit a three-run home run to left center, 4-3 after an inning.
DiCarlo brought the Georgia lead back to two at 5-3 in the top of the third with a solo shot to right field, her 19th home run of the season.
The Bulldogs regained a four-run lead with a pair of runs in the fifth. Fincher doubled, followed by a one-out walk to O’Neal. Fincher touched home on a single dipped into right by Justice Milz. Alysen Febrey then doubled down the right field line to drive in O’Neal, bringing the lead to 7-3. On the play, Milz was thrown out at home to end the inning.
Cutting entered to pitch in the fifth inning. Auburn scratched across a run on an RBI groundout in the frame followed by a leadoff home run in the sixth, narrowing Georgia’s lead back to a couple, 7-5. Later in the inning, back-to-back two-out doubled further narrowed the deficit to a run, 7-6. A ground ball back to Cutting ended the inning, preserving the lead heading to the seventh.
Auburn got the tying run on in the bottom of the inning but Cutting slammed the door shut, earning the Bulldog win.
The Bulldogs and Tigers will square off in game two of the series Saturday at 7 p.m., ET.