University of Georgia Athletics
Saturday, May 20
Athens, Ga.
1 p.m.
University of Georgia
41-13
8
vs
3
Virginia Tech
38-19
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4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Virginia Tech
0
0
0
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0
1
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6
0
Georgia
0
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4
3
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X
8
7
0
Bulldogs Blast Four Home Runs, Defeat Virginia Tech 8-3
May 20, 2023 | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. – The 14th-seeded Georgia softball team defeated Virginia Tech 8-3 Saturday afternoon, knocking four home runs along the way at Jack Turner Stadium in game three of the NCAA Athens Regional.
Georgia improves to 41-13 and have earned a spot in Sunday's Regional final in Athens. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. Georgia will play Virginia Tech in the Regional final.
The offense scattered seven total hits, five going for extra bases in the contest. Seven different hitters combined for the seven hits with Jayda Kearney, Sara Mosley, Sydney Chamlbey, and Jaydyn Goodwin all leaving the yard on Saturday.
Madison Kerpics (19-6) worked five innings in her start, allowing two runs on four hits. She struck out one and walked one. Shelby Walters pitched two innings out of the pen, surrendering one run on two hits with a strikeout.
Goodwin put the Bulldogs in front in the third, sending the first pitch of the inning over the wall in center, 1-0 Georgia. The shot was her sixth home run of the season.
Virginia Tech's (38-19) Emma Ritter knocked a two-out, two-run home run in the fourth to go ahead 2-1 on Georgia.
The Bulldogs responded with four runs in the home half of the inning. With two on and one out, Sydney Kuma drove in pinch runner Hayley Eaton on a double off the wall in right center to tie the game, 2-2. The next batter, Chambley blasted her second home run of the Regional, a three-run shot, to put Georgia back in front, 5-2, after four innings. The home run tipped the double-digit mark for Chamlbey on the season at 10.
A two-run moon shot over the bleachers in center off the bat of Kearney lengthened Georgia's lead to 7-2 in the fifth. Mosley followed with a solo home run of her own, Georgia's fourth of the game, to bring the Bulldog lead to 8-2.
Virginia Tech got one back in the top of the sixth on an RBI groundout, 8-3.
Walters retired the Hokies in order in the seventh en route to securing the victory for Georgia.
Georgia improves to 41-13 and have earned a spot in Sunday's Regional final in Athens. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. Georgia will play Virginia Tech in the Regional final.
The offense scattered seven total hits, five going for extra bases in the contest. Seven different hitters combined for the seven hits with Jayda Kearney, Sara Mosley, Sydney Chamlbey, and Jaydyn Goodwin all leaving the yard on Saturday.
Madison Kerpics (19-6) worked five innings in her start, allowing two runs on four hits. She struck out one and walked one. Shelby Walters pitched two innings out of the pen, surrendering one run on two hits with a strikeout.
Goodwin put the Bulldogs in front in the third, sending the first pitch of the inning over the wall in center, 1-0 Georgia. The shot was her sixth home run of the season.
Virginia Tech's (38-19) Emma Ritter knocked a two-out, two-run home run in the fourth to go ahead 2-1 on Georgia.
The Bulldogs responded with four runs in the home half of the inning. With two on and one out, Sydney Kuma drove in pinch runner Hayley Eaton on a double off the wall in right center to tie the game, 2-2. The next batter, Chambley blasted her second home run of the Regional, a three-run shot, to put Georgia back in front, 5-2, after four innings. The home run tipped the double-digit mark for Chamlbey on the season at 10.
A two-run moon shot over the bleachers in center off the bat of Kearney lengthened Georgia's lead to 7-2 in the fifth. Mosley followed with a solo home run of her own, Georgia's fourth of the game, to bring the Bulldog lead to 8-2.
Virginia Tech got one back in the top of the sixth on an RBI groundout, 8-3.
Walters retired the Hokies in order in the seventh en route to securing the victory for Georgia.
Georgia Head Coach Tony Baldwin
Opening Statement…
"Virginia Tech is a really good offensive team. I thought Chelsea [Wilkinson] and Madison [Kerpics] were really on point, a lot of soft contact. Didn't get as many swing and misses as [Kerpics] might normally, but I thought she commanded the ball really well. She made one mistake in five innings of pitching. That's pretty good against a really good offensive team. Shelby [Walters] came in, and I thought that second inning really looked like herself. She commanded the ball very well. Defensively, I thought we were really sharp. I just think that we had a really good week of practice. The girls worked hard. I think some of the time off that we've had over the course of season, whether it be a rain out here or bye weekend there, gave us an opportunity to go to work and practice hard leading up to the regional. I felt really proud of the way the hitters carried that into today."
On the plan defensively going into today's matchup against Virginia Tech…
"Limit the free opportunities was the first thing. I think if we can keep count leverage against them, that helps us apply a lot of pressure on them. Then, just do what we do. We can't get out of our place. You can't get to the postseason and then try and be a different person or different player. We have a good team. Virginia Tech has a good team, so it was just going to be about who could execute their stuff better. We were able to do that today, but we haven't accomplished anything. It's just part of the weekend. We got the better end to this one, but it's a long way to go."
Georgia Junior Sydney Chambley
On the offensive success the team found against Virginia Tech pitcher Emma Lemley…
"I think like Coach Tony said, we're just trusting our training. I think the preparation and the work that we've done going into the week and just what was to come. We just did a really good job of being competitive and trusting our zone that we're working with, so that, in the long term, paid off. Even if wasn't, we still just trusted the process."
Georgia Junior Jayda Kearney
On what makes this team so good…
"I think it's how much we love each other. We get so excited anytime anyone succeeds, and we do our best to keep pushing each other to succeed as much as possible. We pick each other up, and it helps with the chemistry on the field."
Virginia Tech Head Coach Pete D'Amour
Opening Statement…
"Georgia is as good as we thought they'd be. We hung with them through three innings. Then, just a tough fourth inning. We've got work to do, but we've been here before, so we'll take the winner of the next game and go game to game here."
On Virginia Tech's offensive play and Madison Kerpic's performance…
"The pitching is good. When you get to regionals, it's not like you're planning on scoring six to 10 runs. You just try to hit balls hard, get in good counts, and see what happens."
Virginia Tech Sophomore Emma Lemley
On differences between her starts today and yesterday…
"I think my rise was working. I threw a lot outside, and they did a good job of adjusting to it. I'm learning for next time because we'll play them again, twice."
Opening Statement…
"Virginia Tech is a really good offensive team. I thought Chelsea [Wilkinson] and Madison [Kerpics] were really on point, a lot of soft contact. Didn't get as many swing and misses as [Kerpics] might normally, but I thought she commanded the ball really well. She made one mistake in five innings of pitching. That's pretty good against a really good offensive team. Shelby [Walters] came in, and I thought that second inning really looked like herself. She commanded the ball very well. Defensively, I thought we were really sharp. I just think that we had a really good week of practice. The girls worked hard. I think some of the time off that we've had over the course of season, whether it be a rain out here or bye weekend there, gave us an opportunity to go to work and practice hard leading up to the regional. I felt really proud of the way the hitters carried that into today."
On the plan defensively going into today's matchup against Virginia Tech…
"Limit the free opportunities was the first thing. I think if we can keep count leverage against them, that helps us apply a lot of pressure on them. Then, just do what we do. We can't get out of our place. You can't get to the postseason and then try and be a different person or different player. We have a good team. Virginia Tech has a good team, so it was just going to be about who could execute their stuff better. We were able to do that today, but we haven't accomplished anything. It's just part of the weekend. We got the better end to this one, but it's a long way to go."
Georgia Junior Sydney Chambley
On the offensive success the team found against Virginia Tech pitcher Emma Lemley…
"I think like Coach Tony said, we're just trusting our training. I think the preparation and the work that we've done going into the week and just what was to come. We just did a really good job of being competitive and trusting our zone that we're working with, so that, in the long term, paid off. Even if wasn't, we still just trusted the process."
Georgia Junior Jayda Kearney
On what makes this team so good…
"I think it's how much we love each other. We get so excited anytime anyone succeeds, and we do our best to keep pushing each other to succeed as much as possible. We pick each other up, and it helps with the chemistry on the field."
Virginia Tech Head Coach Pete D'Amour
Opening Statement…
"Georgia is as good as we thought they'd be. We hung with them through three innings. Then, just a tough fourth inning. We've got work to do, but we've been here before, so we'll take the winner of the next game and go game to game here."
On Virginia Tech's offensive play and Madison Kerpic's performance…
"The pitching is good. When you get to regionals, it's not like you're planning on scoring six to 10 runs. You just try to hit balls hard, get in good counts, and see what happens."
Virginia Tech Sophomore Emma Lemley
On differences between her starts today and yesterday…
"I think my rise was working. I threw a lot outside, and they did a good job of adjusting to it. I'm learning for next time because we'll play them again, twice."
Virginia Tech will play next against the winner of Game 4 today at 6:00 PM EST. Georgia will play the winner of Game 5 tomorrow, Sunday at 12:00 PM EST.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kerpics, Madison (19-6)
L: Emma Lemley (21-11)
Batting:
2B: Addy Greene 1
HR: Emma Ritter 1
RBI: Emma Ritter 3
SH: Kelsey Brown 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cameron Fagan 1 ; Addy Greene 1 ; Emma Ritter 1
HBP: Jayme Bailey 1
Batting:
2B: Kuma, Sydney 1
HR: Kearney, Jayda 1 ; Mosley, Sara 1 ; Chambley, Sydney 1 ; Goodwin, Jaydyn 1
RBI: Kearney, Jayda 2 ; Mosley, Sara 1 ; Kuma, Sydney 1 ; Chambley, Sydney 3 ; Goodwin, Jaydyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Goodnight, Dallis 1 ; Eaton, Hayley 1 ; Kearney, Jayda 1 ; Mosley, Sara 2 ; Kuma, Sydney 1 ; Chambley, Sydney 1 ; Goodwin, Jaydyn 1
SB: Goodnight, Dallis 1
HBP: Mosley, Sara 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF/1B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF/OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
RHP
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