University of Georgia Athletics
Friday, March 4
Athens, Ga.
3:30 p.m.
University of Georgia
15-2
6
vs
2
Ohio
3-8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Ohio University
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
6
0
Georgia
3
0
0
3
0
0
X
6
9
0
Kearney Shines in Pair of Friday Wins for Georgia
March 04, 2022 | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. – Sophomore centerfielder Jayda Kearney notched a five-hit day, helping guide the 16th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs to a 6-2 win over Ohio and an 8-2 win over UMass to open the Bulldog Classic Friday at Jack Turner Stadium.
The Bulldogs have won 10-straight games and climb to 16-2 on the season.
Kearney's strong day at the plate included two home runs, a triple, and six RBI. She was on base six times and score four runs.
No. 16 Georgia 6, Ohio 2
Kearney put on an offensive show in the first game of the day, going 3-for-3 (single, home run, triple) with four RBI in the contest. Sara Mosley and Ellie Armistead also contributed two hits each as the Bulldogs scattered nine altogether.
Britton Rogers (6-1) earned the victory in the circle, working five and two-thirds innings. Rogers allowed two runs on five hits, striking out five. Madison Kerpics earned her first save in the circle this season, not allowing any hits in one and a third with three K's.
Georgia loaded the bases with two out in the bottom of the first. A walk to Sydney Kuma pushed the first Georgia run of the inning in. Kearney then dropped a base hit into right, driving in two more runs and widening the first inning lead to 3-0.
Leadoff home runs in the second and third innings for Ohio (3-8) cut the Bulldogs' lead to one, 3-2.
The Bulldogs added to their lead in the fourth with back-to-back home runs, first a two-run shot off the bat of Kearney followed by a solo homer from Payden Bordeau to bring the tally to 6-2 after four.
Georgia's 6-2 advantage held en route to the Bulldogs' 15th victory of the season.
No. 16 Georgia 8, UMass 2
Kearney's day wasn't done between games as she registered a 2-for-3 performance in the nightcap with a two-run home run and scoring three times. Fellow sophomore Aniyah Black added two hits of her own including her first career home run.
Freshman Kylie Macy worked four complete innings in her start, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out seven Minutewomen. Kerpics (6-1) made her second appearance of the day out of the pen, picking up the victory after three innings of shutout softball with six K's. She finished the day with nine strikeouts in 4.1 innings, allowing no runs on two hits.
Black blasted a three-run home run, the first of her career, to right center, putting the Bulldogs ahead 3-0 in the home half of the second.
UMass knocked a solo home run in the top of the fourth to jump on the board, 3-1.
With runners on first and third, a delayed double steal allowed Kearney to swipe home and bring the Georgia lead to 4-1.
Another solo home run from a Minutewoman (4-7) cut the Bulldog lead back to two, 4-2, in the fifth.
Georgia scored a four unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth. With runners in scoring position following an error, Savana Sikes tagged up and scored on a sac fly off the bat of Mosley. A wild pitch then plated Kuma. Kearney's big day at the plate continued later in the inning as she blasted her second home run of the day, a two-run shot, completing the four-run inning and bringing Georgia's lead to 8-2 after five.
Kerpics kept UMass at bay the remainder of the game en route to Georgia's second victory of the day.
Next up, the Bulldogs will take on UMass and Ohio again on Saturday at Jack Turner Stadium at 1 and 3:30 p.m., respectively.
Head coach Tony Baldwin
Opening statement…
"Just proud of the way the girls came out and competed. I don't think we were super sharp, but it's been a little bit since we played. You get into a rhythm of playing. We took a couple days to let our bodies recover this week, really with April and May in mind, so I think that probably contributed to some of our lack of sharpness. Ultimately, I thought the mindset was good. I thought the pitchers were in an attacking place. I though Britt got better as the game went on."
On the team's performance today…
"We just kept fighting and fighting and fighting, and they're a competitive group too. I was super excited for Aniyah Black to get that home run there. She works her tail off in practice, and I think the reaction of the dugout tells you the kind of person she is and the kind of worker she is, so everybody was just excited to see that. I thought Jayda's home run was a pretty big play as well. I also thought it was great when Madison came in after they hit the home run and she struck out three batters in a row, and I think that allowed us to take control of the game."
The Bulldogs have won 10-straight games and climb to 16-2 on the season.
Kearney's strong day at the plate included two home runs, a triple, and six RBI. She was on base six times and score four runs.
No. 16 Georgia 6, Ohio 2
Kearney put on an offensive show in the first game of the day, going 3-for-3 (single, home run, triple) with four RBI in the contest. Sara Mosley and Ellie Armistead also contributed two hits each as the Bulldogs scattered nine altogether.
Britton Rogers (6-1) earned the victory in the circle, working five and two-thirds innings. Rogers allowed two runs on five hits, striking out five. Madison Kerpics earned her first save in the circle this season, not allowing any hits in one and a third with three K's.
Georgia loaded the bases with two out in the bottom of the first. A walk to Sydney Kuma pushed the first Georgia run of the inning in. Kearney then dropped a base hit into right, driving in two more runs and widening the first inning lead to 3-0.
Leadoff home runs in the second and third innings for Ohio (3-8) cut the Bulldogs' lead to one, 3-2.
The Bulldogs added to their lead in the fourth with back-to-back home runs, first a two-run shot off the bat of Kearney followed by a solo homer from Payden Bordeau to bring the tally to 6-2 after four.
Georgia's 6-2 advantage held en route to the Bulldogs' 15th victory of the season.
No. 16 Georgia 8, UMass 2
Kearney's day wasn't done between games as she registered a 2-for-3 performance in the nightcap with a two-run home run and scoring three times. Fellow sophomore Aniyah Black added two hits of her own including her first career home run.
Freshman Kylie Macy worked four complete innings in her start, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out seven Minutewomen. Kerpics (6-1) made her second appearance of the day out of the pen, picking up the victory after three innings of shutout softball with six K's. She finished the day with nine strikeouts in 4.1 innings, allowing no runs on two hits.
Black blasted a three-run home run, the first of her career, to right center, putting the Bulldogs ahead 3-0 in the home half of the second.
UMass knocked a solo home run in the top of the fourth to jump on the board, 3-1.
With runners on first and third, a delayed double steal allowed Kearney to swipe home and bring the Georgia lead to 4-1.
Another solo home run from a Minutewoman (4-7) cut the Bulldog lead back to two, 4-2, in the fifth.
Georgia scored a four unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth. With runners in scoring position following an error, Savana Sikes tagged up and scored on a sac fly off the bat of Mosley. A wild pitch then plated Kuma. Kearney's big day at the plate continued later in the inning as she blasted her second home run of the day, a two-run shot, completing the four-run inning and bringing Georgia's lead to 8-2 after five.
Kerpics kept UMass at bay the remainder of the game en route to Georgia's second victory of the day.
Next up, the Bulldogs will take on UMass and Ohio again on Saturday at Jack Turner Stadium at 1 and 3:30 p.m., respectively.
Head coach Tony Baldwin
Opening statement…
"Just proud of the way the girls came out and competed. I don't think we were super sharp, but it's been a little bit since we played. You get into a rhythm of playing. We took a couple days to let our bodies recover this week, really with April and May in mind, so I think that probably contributed to some of our lack of sharpness. Ultimately, I thought the mindset was good. I thought the pitchers were in an attacking place. I though Britt got better as the game went on."
On the team's performance today…
"We just kept fighting and fighting and fighting, and they're a competitive group too. I was super excited for Aniyah Black to get that home run there. She works her tail off in practice, and I think the reaction of the dugout tells you the kind of person she is and the kind of worker she is, so everybody was just excited to see that. I thought Jayda's home run was a pretty big play as well. I also thought it was great when Madison came in after they hit the home run and she struck out three batters in a row, and I think that allowed us to take control of the game."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rogers, Britton (6-0)
L: Kohl, Mackensie (2-5)
S: Kerpics, Madison (1)
Batting:
2B: Englant, Allie 1
HR: Rice, Brooke 1 ; Yuhas, Lauren 1
RBI: Rice, Brooke 1 ; Yuhas, Lauren 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rice, Brooke 1 ; Yuhas, Lauren 1
SB: McMenemy, Megan 1
Batting:
3B: Kearney, Jayda 1
HR: Kearney, Jayda 1 ; Bordeau, Payden 1
RBI: Kuma, Sydney 1 ; Kearney, Jayda 4 ; Bordeau, Payden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Chambley, Sydney 1 ; Mosley, Sara 1 ; Fields, Jaiden 1 ; Kuma, Sydney 1 ; Kearney, Jayda 1 ; Bordeau, Payden 1
CS: Kearney, Jayda 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
3
RBI
4
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballOF
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RHP
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INF
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RHP
/ SoftballINF
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RHP
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INF
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