University of Georgia Athletics
Sunday, May 21
Athens, Ga.
12 p.m.
University of Georgia
42-13
12
vs
3
Virginia Tech
39-20
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5
6
R
H
E
Georgia
5
0
2
1
0
4
12
13
1
Virginia Tech
0
0
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2
0
1
3
5
2
Bulldogs Punch Ticket to Super Regionals, Run Rule Hokies 12-3
May 21, 2023 | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. – The 14th-seeded Georgia softball team run ruled Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon at Jack Turner Stadium, 12-3, in six innings, punching its ticket to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament.
Georgia improves to 42-13 on the season and will make its 12th NCAA Super Regional appearance in program history.
The Bulldogs will take on the winner of game seven in the Tallahassee Regional between (3) Florida State and South Carolina. Dates are TBD for next weekend's Super Regional.
The Bulldogs' 12 runs came on 13 hits, led by four hits, two home runs, and five RBI from junior Sydney Chambley. Dallis Goodnight and Sara Mosley each tallied two hits while Lyndi Rae Davis joined Mosely with a pair of RBI. Seven hitters of Georgia's starting lineup each had a hit.
Chambley concludes the NCAA Regional hitting .778 (7-for-9), knocking four home runs, and driving in 13 runs. She slugged 2.111 and scored four times.
Graduate Shelby Walters pitched a complete game, going six innings, allowing three runs on five hits. She struck out five Hokies and walked none.
The Bulldogs wasted no time getting on the board in the opening frame. Goodnight led off the game with a double dropped into shallow left. After a flyout and a strikeout, Mosley drove in Goodnight with a double off the wall in left center. She immediately scored on an RBI hit off the bat of Sydney Kuma to go ahead 2-0. Chambley and Jaydyn Goodwin followed with back-to-back home runs to make it a five-run first for the Dogs.
Chambley's fourth home run of the Regional, this one a two-run shot down the right field line, widened the lead to 7-0 in the top of the third.
A two-out solo blast off the bat of Davis brought the Bulldogs' lead to 8-0 in the top of the fourth.
Virginia Tech (39-20) broke up Walters' perfect game bid with a leadoff infield single in the bottom of the fourth. The leadoff single came in to score on a groundout to also break up the shutout, 8-1. The Hokies added another in the inning to cut into Georgia's lead, 8-2.
A four spot in the top of the sixth made it a 10-run game. With runners in scoring position, an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Davis plated Ellie Armistead. Three-straight RBI singles from Jayda Kearney, Mosley, and Chambley extended the lead to 12-2. Chambley's hit, her fourth of the game, tied Georgia's NCAA Tournament single-game record.
A solo home run in the bottom of the inning finished the scoring in the game, 12-3.
Georgia Head Coach Tony Baldwin
Opening Statement…
"What a day, thankful that the weather held out, and we had such a great crowd. Hats off to Virginia Tech on such a great season. I have a lot of respect for their program, their coaching staff, and the way that they play the game. I feel very humble to be moving on past them. I'm just really proud of our players answering the bell again. Sometimes it's really hard when you play such an emotional game on the first day to answer that on the second day. I'm really proud of the way our team answered the bell. Shelby [Walters] was a battler out there and really controlled the game. Our offense was clicking and just strung together some good at-bats. Sydney [Chambley] this weekend has been, I would say, 14 weeks in the making, but we'll take it."
On what it means to make it to a Super Regional…
"I'm really proud of our ability to host the Regional and get through it. The goals for the program are the same at the end of the day. Like you said, there are a lot of them. I'm really proud of our ability to check this one off. Now, we'll go into recovery mode and get ready to play whoever we play next. The great thing about playing in our conference – and we're not the only conference, so I don't like saying that the SEC is the only place where you can play good softball – you play a lot of good teams. I think we had 10 of them playing for a Regional Championship today, so you get used to playing other teams that are every bit as talented as you and just as well coached as you. We're comfortable in that environment. Whoever it is that we have an opportunity to play against, we'll feel comfortable that we'll go there and compete and show up with the best version of ourselves, and we'll have the best opportunity to be successful. As a coach and as players, that's all you can ever do, put yourself in a place where you have the opportunity to be successful. Sometimes you can do a lot of things right and the outcome doesn't go your way. If you put yourself in the right place enough times, the odds start to shift in your favor.
Georgia Junior Sydney Chambley
On Georgia's strong day offensively…
"I think that we've done a really good job of fighting for what we want. One thing we worked really hard on this weekend was finding a way, just being determined and figuring it out. I think we did a really good job of that and passing the bat because all of the things that happened and the runs that were scored couldn't happen without one after the other passing the bat through the lineup. I think that process of just stepping up to the plate and getting your job done was our mindset and just really paid off for us."
Georgia Graduate Shelby Walters
On if these are the types of moments she envisioned at Georgia…
"These are exactly the kind of moments that I envisioned coming to Georgia. This team is so explosive and passionate about the game. I love all the girls who are on the field with me and the ones that are in the dugout cheering me on. We've got each other's backs. The mindset going into this game was that we just really wanted to attack their hitters and throw our best stuff, what we've been doing all season. We didn't want to let the moment get too big, just play good old softball."
Virginia Tech Head Coach Pete D'Amour
Opening Statement…
"Good on Georgia, I wish them luck next week. Good job on the run of the tournament, well run. Yeah, not the way we wanted to end, but these seniors have been with me for five years. They're a special group. I think we got 10 plus leaving so. Just didn't really put all the phases together this year at one time, so that's what happens. 39 wins, a down year, but the program is still in good hands I think."
On what makes keeping Georgia hitters contained so difficult…
"They can hit. They're good hitters. They're patient. They put good swings on balls. They've been able to hit for 15 years, so it's just hard. The first inning I thought, a couple plays here and there where we couldn't limit the damage, and you just can't give good teams like that opportunities."
Virginia Tech Senior Jayme Bailey
On what she will remember from her successful career at Virginia Tech…
"We had a lot of success on the field, but I think looking back I'm going to remember everything off of the field more than I'm going to remember everything on the field. We've had a good group of girls all five years. We played our hearts out, and we had fun doing it."
Virginia Tech Freshman Lyndsey Grein
On her struggles against the Georgia hitters…
"I think just like Coach Pete said, Georgia can hit, and I have a lot more room to grow. I think everything was moving, and I'm going to stick to that statement. Georgia can hit the ball pretty dang well."
Georgia improves to 42-13 on the season and will make its 12th NCAA Super Regional appearance in program history.
The Bulldogs will take on the winner of game seven in the Tallahassee Regional between (3) Florida State and South Carolina. Dates are TBD for next weekend's Super Regional.
The Bulldogs' 12 runs came on 13 hits, led by four hits, two home runs, and five RBI from junior Sydney Chambley. Dallis Goodnight and Sara Mosley each tallied two hits while Lyndi Rae Davis joined Mosely with a pair of RBI. Seven hitters of Georgia's starting lineup each had a hit.
Chambley concludes the NCAA Regional hitting .778 (7-for-9), knocking four home runs, and driving in 13 runs. She slugged 2.111 and scored four times.
Graduate Shelby Walters pitched a complete game, going six innings, allowing three runs on five hits. She struck out five Hokies and walked none.
The Bulldogs wasted no time getting on the board in the opening frame. Goodnight led off the game with a double dropped into shallow left. After a flyout and a strikeout, Mosley drove in Goodnight with a double off the wall in left center. She immediately scored on an RBI hit off the bat of Sydney Kuma to go ahead 2-0. Chambley and Jaydyn Goodwin followed with back-to-back home runs to make it a five-run first for the Dogs.
Chambley's fourth home run of the Regional, this one a two-run shot down the right field line, widened the lead to 7-0 in the top of the third.
A two-out solo blast off the bat of Davis brought the Bulldogs' lead to 8-0 in the top of the fourth.
Virginia Tech (39-20) broke up Walters' perfect game bid with a leadoff infield single in the bottom of the fourth. The leadoff single came in to score on a groundout to also break up the shutout, 8-1. The Hokies added another in the inning to cut into Georgia's lead, 8-2.
A four spot in the top of the sixth made it a 10-run game. With runners in scoring position, an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Davis plated Ellie Armistead. Three-straight RBI singles from Jayda Kearney, Mosley, and Chambley extended the lead to 12-2. Chambley's hit, her fourth of the game, tied Georgia's NCAA Tournament single-game record.
A solo home run in the bottom of the inning finished the scoring in the game, 12-3.
Georgia Head Coach Tony Baldwin
Opening Statement…
"What a day, thankful that the weather held out, and we had such a great crowd. Hats off to Virginia Tech on such a great season. I have a lot of respect for their program, their coaching staff, and the way that they play the game. I feel very humble to be moving on past them. I'm just really proud of our players answering the bell again. Sometimes it's really hard when you play such an emotional game on the first day to answer that on the second day. I'm really proud of the way our team answered the bell. Shelby [Walters] was a battler out there and really controlled the game. Our offense was clicking and just strung together some good at-bats. Sydney [Chambley] this weekend has been, I would say, 14 weeks in the making, but we'll take it."
On what it means to make it to a Super Regional…
"I'm really proud of our ability to host the Regional and get through it. The goals for the program are the same at the end of the day. Like you said, there are a lot of them. I'm really proud of our ability to check this one off. Now, we'll go into recovery mode and get ready to play whoever we play next. The great thing about playing in our conference – and we're not the only conference, so I don't like saying that the SEC is the only place where you can play good softball – you play a lot of good teams. I think we had 10 of them playing for a Regional Championship today, so you get used to playing other teams that are every bit as talented as you and just as well coached as you. We're comfortable in that environment. Whoever it is that we have an opportunity to play against, we'll feel comfortable that we'll go there and compete and show up with the best version of ourselves, and we'll have the best opportunity to be successful. As a coach and as players, that's all you can ever do, put yourself in a place where you have the opportunity to be successful. Sometimes you can do a lot of things right and the outcome doesn't go your way. If you put yourself in the right place enough times, the odds start to shift in your favor.
Georgia Junior Sydney Chambley
On Georgia's strong day offensively…
"I think that we've done a really good job of fighting for what we want. One thing we worked really hard on this weekend was finding a way, just being determined and figuring it out. I think we did a really good job of that and passing the bat because all of the things that happened and the runs that were scored couldn't happen without one after the other passing the bat through the lineup. I think that process of just stepping up to the plate and getting your job done was our mindset and just really paid off for us."
Georgia Graduate Shelby Walters
On if these are the types of moments she envisioned at Georgia…
"These are exactly the kind of moments that I envisioned coming to Georgia. This team is so explosive and passionate about the game. I love all the girls who are on the field with me and the ones that are in the dugout cheering me on. We've got each other's backs. The mindset going into this game was that we just really wanted to attack their hitters and throw our best stuff, what we've been doing all season. We didn't want to let the moment get too big, just play good old softball."
Virginia Tech Head Coach Pete D'Amour
Opening Statement…
"Good on Georgia, I wish them luck next week. Good job on the run of the tournament, well run. Yeah, not the way we wanted to end, but these seniors have been with me for five years. They're a special group. I think we got 10 plus leaving so. Just didn't really put all the phases together this year at one time, so that's what happens. 39 wins, a down year, but the program is still in good hands I think."
On what makes keeping Georgia hitters contained so difficult…
"They can hit. They're good hitters. They're patient. They put good swings on balls. They've been able to hit for 15 years, so it's just hard. The first inning I thought, a couple plays here and there where we couldn't limit the damage, and you just can't give good teams like that opportunities."
Virginia Tech Senior Jayme Bailey
On what she will remember from her successful career at Virginia Tech…
"We had a lot of success on the field, but I think looking back I'm going to remember everything off of the field more than I'm going to remember everything on the field. We've had a good group of girls all five years. We played our hearts out, and we had fun doing it."
Virginia Tech Freshman Lyndsey Grein
On her struggles against the Georgia hitters…
"I think just like Coach Pete said, Georgia can hit, and I have a lot more room to grow. I think everything was moving, and I'm going to stick to that statement. Georgia can hit the ball pretty dang well."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Walters, Shelby (18-5)
L: Lyndsey Grein (10-6)
Batting:
2B: Goodnight, Dallis 1 ; Mosley, Sara 1
HR: Davis, Lyndi Rae 1 ; Chambley, Sydney 2 ; Goodwin, Jaydyn 1
RBI: Davis, Lyndi Rae 2 ; Kearney, Jayda 1 ; Mosley, Sara 2 ; Kuma, Sydney 1 ; Chambley, Sydney 5 ; Goodwin, Jaydyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Goodnight, Dallis 2 ; Davis, Lyndi Rae 1 ; Eaton, Hayley 1 ; Kearney, Jayda 1 ; Mosley, Sara 1 ; Kuma, Sydney 2 ; Chambley, Sydney 2 ; Goodwin, Jaydyn 1 ; Armistead, Ellie 1
Batting:
2B: Addy Greene 1
HR: Cameron Fagan 1
RBI: Cameron Fagan 1 ; Emma Ritter 1 ; Jayme Bailey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kelsey Brown 1 ; Cameron Fagan 1 ; Emma Ritter 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
4
RBI
5
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF
/ SoftballOF/1B
/ SoftballC/1B
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF/OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
RHP
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