The 12th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs softball team fell to eighth-ranked LSU, 11-4, on Friday evening in Jack Turner Stadium in its Southeastern Conference home opener. 

Explosive offensive performances highlighted the beginning of the matchup, both teams scoring a combined 12 runs after two innings of play. Offensively, Alyssa DiCarlo highlighted Georgia’s performance, knocking a three-run home run over the right center wall. Freshman Savana Sikes recorded the Bulldogs’ only other RBI. In total, the Bulldogs scored four runs on 11 hits.

Joining DiCarlo and Sikes at the plate, Justice Milz and freshmen Lacey Fincher and CJ Landrum each had two hits in the game.

Three different Bulldogs saw time in the circle tonight with junior Mary Wilson Avant (6-3) earning the start, pitching one and one-third innings, recording one strikeout and allowing seven runs on four hits. Senior Kylie Bass pitched three and two-thirds innings, tallying two strikeouts and allowing three runs on four hits. Redshirt-junior Alley Cutting finished in the circle for Georgia (25-7), pitching two innings and finishing with two strikeouts, giving up one run on three hits.

“It’s what you sign up for when you’re in the SEC,” said Associate Head Coach Tony Baldwin. “You’re going to play teams that are talented. We said before the game it wasn’t going to come down to talent to decide who wins today it was going to be a battle of moments. They came out on top of a few more of those moments today. There was a lot of even about that scoreboard but unfortunately there were a couple of moments there in the second inning that we just didn’t get out of.” 

While the Tigers got out to a quick 1-0 advantage, the Bulldog offense answered in the bottom of the first, highlighted by DiCarlo’s three-run home run. Sikes tacked on an RBI of her own in the bottom of the first to send Georgia into the second leading 4-1.

LSU responded in the top of the second, regaining the lead, 8-4, off a grand-slam and a solo home run. Despite loading the bases in the bottom of the third, Georgia was unable to score a run and went into the third trailing by four.

Bass loaded in the bases in the top of the fourth with no outs, but was able to strand all three LSU runners, not allowing any runs. The score remained 8-4 through the fifth inning.

LSU plated two more in the top of the sixth inning to extend its lead, 10-4. Georgia was unable to capitalize on bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning, going into the seventh trailing by six.

In the top of the seventh, the Tigers tacked on one more to increase its lead to seven. Junior Jordan Doggett reached base on a single in the bottom of the seventh but the Bulldogs were unable to score.

Game two of the LSU series will be Saturday, March 23, at 2 p.m., at Jack Turner Stadium and live on the SEC Network.