University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
18-1
UNCG
13-6
Bulldogs Top UNCG 6-1, Cap Third-Straight Weekend Sweep
March 04, 2018 | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. – With a 6-1 dispatch of the UNCG Spartans on Sunday at Jack Turner Stadium, the 14th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs locked in their 17th consecutive win for the first time since 2010.
Georgia improves to 18-1, with the lone loss coming against then-ranked No. 3 Oregon. The Bulldogs bring three-straight 5-0 weekends to a close, outscoring opponents 111-to-5 in 14 home games.
Against the Spartans, junior left-hander Kylie Bass conducted her third-straight one-hit contest, improving to 6-0 on the season. Freshman righty Lauren Mathis closed the game with two scoreless innings, sealing the 6-1 final.
"Coach (Rachele) Fico has done an incredible job with the pitching staff," Georgia head coach Lu Harris-Champer said. "Our pitchers throw great games and lay down every pitch they're told. Kylie (Bass) is a great pitcher, I can't say enough about her and the way that she is able to deliver so many different pitches in so many different spots."
Senior Kendall Burton and sophomore Ciara Bryan capped a stellar weekend at the plate with three hits apiece. Burton led the Bulldogs with a 7-for-12 (.583) clip on the weekend, followed by Bryan's 8-for-14 (.571) showing.
Georgia established a 4-0 lead in the opening frame. From a new spot in the lineup, Burton knocked a base hit through the left side of the infield, paving the way for an opposite-field homerun over the right field fence from senior Alyssa DiCarlo.
Sophomore Alysen Febrey followed DiCarlo with a base hit through the right side, setting up another Bulldog two-run homerun – this time from Bryan – which forced the Spartans' starting pitcher Hannah Stiltner to hand over control to Kylie Bouplon with two outs in the first inning.
"It's a huge benefit to have four runs in the first inning," Febrey said. "It's always nice to jump on a team early because then there's the whole game left for them to watch us get better on offense and maintain dominance on defense."
The Bulldogs tacked on another run in the fifth, started by a Jessica Morgan walk. Sophomore pinch runner Tiffani Railey advanced to second and third with a stolen base and a Cortni Emanuel ground ball to the right side, before crossing home on an infield base hit from Burton.
The offensive production continued in the third inning with a two-out Bryan single to right field. Then, sophomore Mahlena O'Neal supplied an RBI base hit into left field, scoring Bryan from first for the 6-0 Georgia advantage.
In the top of the fifth inning, UNCG scored the first run against Bass since the junior's first appearance this season against Oregon. A walk and an RBI double made it a 6-1 contest.
Up next, Georgia welcomes in-state rival Georgia Tech to Jack Turner Stadium on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Then, the Bulldogs play host to Western Carolina for a second mid-week game on Wednesday at 5 p.m. before Arkansas heads to Athens for the first SEC weekend on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bass, Kylie (7-0)
L: Hannah Stiltner (1-3)
Batting:
2B: Rachael McClaskey 1
RBI: Rachael McClaskey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Makenna Matthijs 1
Batting:
HR: DiCarlo, Alyssa 1 ; Bryan, Ciara 1
RBI: Burton, Kendall 1 ; DiCarlo, Alyssa 2 ; Bryan, Ciara 2 ; O'Neal, Mahlena 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Burton, Kendall 1 ; DiCarlo, Alyssa 1 ; Febrey, Alysen 1 ; Bryan, Ciara 2 ; Railey, Tiffani 1
SB: Burton, Kendall 1 ; Railey, Tiffani 1
CS: Harding, Karlie 1
