University of Georgia Athletics
Sunday, April 2
Athens, Ga.
6 p.m.
University of Georgia
29-6, 0
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Kentucky
21-9-1, 0
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7
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H
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Kentucky
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9
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Georgia
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7
3
Three-Home Run Fourth Lifts Georgia Past No. 16 Kentucky, 4-3
April 02, 2023 | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. – The 15th-ranked Georgia softball team knocked three home runs in the fourth inning to ultimately defeat No. 16 Kentucky Sunday evening, 4-3, at Jack Turner Stadium and clinch the series over the Wildcats.
Riding an 11-game win streak, Georgia climbs to 29-6 on the season and 9-1 in SEC play. Georgia's win streak has included nine-straight SEC wins.
Graduate pitcher Shelby Walters (14-1) worked six and two-thirds innings in her start. She allowed three runs on nine hits, striking out three Wildcats. Junior Madison Kerpics entered to pitch in the top of the seventh with the go-ahead run on, striking out the lone batter she faced to end the game and pick up her first save of the season.
Georgia's offense was outhit in the game, 9-7. Sydney Kuma was the lone Bulldog with two hits while Jayda Kearney drove in two runs. Kearney and Kuma joined Lyndi Rae Davis in leaving the yard in the fourth inning.
A leadoff walk and a groundout put a runner in scoring position for Kentucky (21-9-1, 4-4) in the third. Erin Coffel singled up the middle to drive in the go-ahead run. With two out, back-to-back Georgia errors extended the inning and allowed Kentucky to plate another and widen the lead to 2-0.
Three solo home runs off the bats of Kearney, Davis, and Kuma in the bottom of the fourth gave the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead. The last time Georgia hit three home runs in an inning was at home against LSU on April 23, 2022.
Ellie Armistead started the bottom of the fifth with a hit to left then Dallis Goodnight followed with a bunt for a hit. Both runners moved into scoring position on a groundout. Kearney picked up her second RBI of the game on a sac fly to left, scoring Armistead, and bringing the lead to 4-2.
The Wildcats got a run back in the top of the sixth on an RBI double down the right field line, cutting the Dogs' lead to 4-3.
Back-to-back two-out singles to short put the go-ahead run aboard in the top of the seventh for the Wildcats. Kerpics entered and got Kentucky's Meeko Harrison to chase, ending the game and securing the victory for Georgia.
The series finale is set for Monday evening in primetime on SEC Network. First pitch between the Bulldogs and Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. Georgia head coach Tony Baldwin will be featured on Mic'd Up Mondays during the broadcast.
Head coach Tony Baldwin
On how the team competed…
"I thought we were super resilient tonight, obviously we didn't perform our best, we didn't make some of the plays that we would like to make. But at the end of the day, it's not a game of perfection. It's a game of figure it out and how do you get to the end of the game with one more run than them and we got that done tonight. The crowd was amazing, so thankful for everybody to be out here and support us. I thought they impacted the game and proud of the adjustment our hitters made the second time through the order."
On what the team needs to do to sweep Monday…
"We just have go out and fight the battle, be the best version of ourselves tomorrow, whatever that is. I would love for us to pitch perfect, play perfect defense, and everybody swings the bat great, but that's just not the reality of how the season goes. And tomorrow we're just going to have to come out and try and fight to be the best version of what we have tomorrow. And whatever that looks like, find a way to get one more run than them."
Riding an 11-game win streak, Georgia climbs to 29-6 on the season and 9-1 in SEC play. Georgia's win streak has included nine-straight SEC wins.
Graduate pitcher Shelby Walters (14-1) worked six and two-thirds innings in her start. She allowed three runs on nine hits, striking out three Wildcats. Junior Madison Kerpics entered to pitch in the top of the seventh with the go-ahead run on, striking out the lone batter she faced to end the game and pick up her first save of the season.
Georgia's offense was outhit in the game, 9-7. Sydney Kuma was the lone Bulldog with two hits while Jayda Kearney drove in two runs. Kearney and Kuma joined Lyndi Rae Davis in leaving the yard in the fourth inning.
A leadoff walk and a groundout put a runner in scoring position for Kentucky (21-9-1, 4-4) in the third. Erin Coffel singled up the middle to drive in the go-ahead run. With two out, back-to-back Georgia errors extended the inning and allowed Kentucky to plate another and widen the lead to 2-0.
Three solo home runs off the bats of Kearney, Davis, and Kuma in the bottom of the fourth gave the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead. The last time Georgia hit three home runs in an inning was at home against LSU on April 23, 2022.
Ellie Armistead started the bottom of the fifth with a hit to left then Dallis Goodnight followed with a bunt for a hit. Both runners moved into scoring position on a groundout. Kearney picked up her second RBI of the game on a sac fly to left, scoring Armistead, and bringing the lead to 4-2.
The Wildcats got a run back in the top of the sixth on an RBI double down the right field line, cutting the Dogs' lead to 4-3.
Back-to-back two-out singles to short put the go-ahead run aboard in the top of the seventh for the Wildcats. Kerpics entered and got Kentucky's Meeko Harrison to chase, ending the game and securing the victory for Georgia.
The series finale is set for Monday evening in primetime on SEC Network. First pitch between the Bulldogs and Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. Georgia head coach Tony Baldwin will be featured on Mic'd Up Mondays during the broadcast.
Head coach Tony Baldwin
On how the team competed…
"I thought we were super resilient tonight, obviously we didn't perform our best, we didn't make some of the plays that we would like to make. But at the end of the day, it's not a game of perfection. It's a game of figure it out and how do you get to the end of the game with one more run than them and we got that done tonight. The crowd was amazing, so thankful for everybody to be out here and support us. I thought they impacted the game and proud of the adjustment our hitters made the second time through the order."
On what the team needs to do to sweep Monday…
"We just have go out and fight the battle, be the best version of ourselves tomorrow, whatever that is. I would love for us to pitch perfect, play perfect defense, and everybody swings the bat great, but that's just not the reality of how the season goes. And tomorrow we're just going to have to come out and try and fight to be the best version of what we have tomorrow. And whatever that looks like, find a way to get one more run than them."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Walters, Shelby (14-1)
L: Alexia Lacatena (8-3)
S: Kerpics, Madison (1)
Batting:
2B: Rylea Smith 1
RBI: Erin Coffel 1 ; Rylea Smith 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kayla Kowalik 1 ; Erin Coffel 1 ; Hallie Mitchell 1
Batting:
2B: Kuma, Sydney 1
HR: Kearney, Jayda 1 ; Davis, Lyndi Rae 1 ; Kuma, Sydney 1
RBI: Kearney, Jayda 2 ; Davis, Lyndi Rae 1 ; Kuma, Sydney 1
SF: Kearney, Jayda 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kearney, Jayda 1 ; Davis, Lyndi Rae 1 ; Kuma, Sydney 1 ; Armistead, Ellie 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
C/1B
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
RHP
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