University of Georgia Athletics
No. 6 Georgia Softball Plays Host To Furman Wednesday
March 31, 2009 | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. -- Sixth-ranked Georgia will conclude a five-game home stand on Wednesday by playing host to the Furman Paladins at the UGA Softball Stadium. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. ET.
Georgia improved to 24-4 overall with a 4-0 record last week by defeating Mercer in a midweek contest and sweeping a three-game, Southeastern Conference series against Kentucky. The four wins extended Georgia’s current winning streak to nine games, and it will be looking to match its season-long winning streak of 10 games versus Furman. Over the current winning streak, the Bulldogs are batting .312 and have outscored opponents 52-12. UGA is also 15-0 when playing at home this season.
Georgia has steadily climbed the top-25 national polls this season going from No. 22 in the preseason to its highest ranking of sixth in the most recent release of the polls. It marks the highest the Bulldogs have been ranked since week nine of the 2004 season, when they reached the program’s highest-ever ranking of fifth.
Furman will visit Athens with a 12-17 record having won its series with Samford last weekend. After dropping game one of a three-game set, the Paladins took games two and three by scores of 7-3 and 2-0. The Paladins used a five-run second inning en route to the 7-3 victory, and junior pitcher Lana Mackey led Furman to the 2-0 win. Mackey struck out seven and retired 13 of the final 15 batters she faced. Furman is 5-11 in away games.
Live stats for the Georgia-Furman contest will be available via georgiadogs.com, and GXtra subscribers can log for live audio. Admission is free to all home games.
Georgia-Furman Series History: In the all-time series between Georgia and Furman, the Bulldogs lead 13-1 including two victories last season in Athens by scores of 5-1 and 6-0. Georgia has won the last 10 meetings dating back to 2001. Furman’s loan win in the series came in 2000 when it won 4-3 in 11 innings.
Bulldogs To Watch: Against Mercer last week, sophomore Alisa Goler pelted her 12th home run of the season to pull within four of the single-season home run record at UGA. Goler also tallied six RBI on the week to push her season total to 50, which is 15 RBI away from the single-season school record. Leading the Bulldogs to the series sweep of Kentucky, freshman Lisaira Daniels hit a team-best .667 with a team-high five runs scored.
From the circle, senior Christie Hamilton went 3-0 last week with 17.0 innings pitched including two complete games. She has a season-high 10 strikeouts against Mercer.
On Deck For The Bulldogs: After playing Furman, the Bulldogs will make their second trip of the season to Tuscaloosa, Ala. Earlier this season, Georgia was in Tuscaloosa for the Easton Challenge, where it beat No. 24 Baylor twice and split a pair of games with No. 1 Washington. While Georgia did not play tournament host Alabama in the Easton Challenge, the Bulldogs will return April 4-5 for a three-game series against the Crimson Tide.