University of Georgia Athletics
Friday, February 9
Athens, Ga.
3:30 p.m.
University of Georgia
1-0
11
vs
0
Murray State
0-2
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Murray State
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
Georgia
0
2
1
8
X
11
11
0
No. 6 Bulldogs Shut Out Racers, Coyotes on Opening Day
February 09, 2024 | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. – The sixth-ranked Georgia softball team shut out the Murray State Racers, 11-0 in five innings, and the South Dakota Coyotes, 4-0, to open the 2024 season Friday at Jack Turner Stadium.
As a team, Georgia (2-0) hit six home runs in the twin bill while the combo of Shelby Walters and Lilli Backes worked 12 shutout innings in the circle, allowing just five hits and striking out a combined 12 batters Friday.
No. 6 Georgia 11, Murray State 0 (5 inn.)
The Bulldogs scattered 11 hits, nine of which went for extra bases (4 doubles, 5 home runs) against Murray State (0-2) in the opener. Jayda Kearney knocked two home runs while Sara Mosley, Sydney Kuma, and Ellie Armistead went deep as well in the game. Freshman Emily Digby had two hits and drove in four runs while fellow newcomer Sarah Gordon also had two hits with an RBI.
Walters (1-0) pitched a one-hit shutout in the circle. Walters took a no-hitter through four and a third innings in her start. She struck out seven Racers and walked two.
Kuma led off the bottom of the second with the first Georgia home run of the season, this one off the videoboard in right, 1-0 Georgia. Sydney Chambley walked, stole second, and scored on a single back up the middle off the bat of Gordon to widen the lead to 2-0.
Kearney led off the bottom of the third with a solo home run to make it 3-0 Georgia.
The bats came alive in the home half of the fourth. Digby drove in Gordon with a single up the middle, 4-0. Armistead and Mosley knocked back-to-back home runs to lengthen the lead to 7-0. Kearney kept it going with her second home run of the game, 8-0. The Dogs loaded the bases then Digby cleared them with one swing of the bat on a three-run double to left center, 11-0.
The Racers broke up Walters' no-hit bid with one out in the top of the fifth, but Walters secured the shutout.
No. 6 Georgia 4, South Dakota 0
The A four-run fifth inning lifted Georgia to a 4-0 victory in Friday's nightcap over South Dakota (0-2). Mosley blasted her second home run of the day and Chambley drove in three runs on a pair of hits in the contest.
Backes (1-0) pitched a seven-inning shutout in her Georgia debut in the circle, allowing four hits. She struck out eight Coyotes and did not allow a baserunner after a leadoff single in the top of the fourth.
Mosley broke the scoreless tie with a two-out solo home run, her second homer of the day, in the bottom of the fifth, 1-0. Chambley knocked a bases-loaded double to clear the bases and widen the lead to 4-0 after five.
The Dogs' 4-0 lead held as Backes retired the next six Coyote batters in order en route to Georgia's second shutout of the day.
Georgia returns to action Saturday at day two of the Red & Black Showcase at Jack Turner Stadium. The Bulldogs take on Murray State at 1 p.m. followed by Purdue at 3:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Head Coach Tony Baldwin
On the performances today...
"Great crowd. Thankful that the weather was great, and it looks like we're going to get another really good day tomorrow. Just excited to get out and play. We've been practicing for a long time. We've been talking since forever ago, when we were down in Tallahassee, and it was good to just get back out there and play a meaningful game. I thought the first game went about as well as you could hope for an opening game. Shelby [Walters] was just on point, commanding the whole day. I'm disappointed that she didn't get the no-hitter, the way that she had thrown the ball, but nonetheless, a shutout is going to make us hard to get beat. I thought the defense was outstanding, and I thought that way strung together a lot of good at bats. Fun to see the ball go out of the ballpark, but more so, that's a product of the discipline that we had and the pitch selection we've been working on. That second game, something that we've been talking about is playing under strain. When you play great teams, you are going to be under strain, and you have to respond to that. They came out there with a really good plan. Their pitcher was executing the plan outstandingly. They got some base runners that created some pressure, but I thought Lilli [Backes] handled it well. I thought our hitters showed good composure and just kept fighting. Ultimately, we were able to come out on top."
On Shelby Walters and Lilli Backes...
"Shelby, you know, we sat her out most of the fall, so she's been itching to go for weeks now. We knew that she would be ready to go, and she didn't disappoint. I thought she was incredibly sharp - up to 72 [miles per hour]. She had a really good command of her changeup. She was working both sides of the plate. Just on point. And then Lilli, for her first game - first meaningful game in the red and black - I don't know if you could ask for a whole lot more. She commanded the ball well. She worked both sides of the plate. She competed. She's just a really good competitor, and no doubt, she makes our team better by being here. We're anxious to get Madi [Kerpics] out there tomorrow and get her rolling."
#22 Emily Digby | INF | Fr.
On how it feels to play in a Georgia uniform for the first time…
"So awesome, oh my gosh. I grew up coming to these games, and it's just surreal to actually be in this uniform and be out here and playing under the lights."
#48 Shelby Walters | RHP | Gr.
On if the team is focusing on shutouts or if they are just an added bonus…
"I feel like that's always the goal. It's always great if I, or any of the pitchers, are able to put some goose eggs up there. I feel like it takes a little pressure off the offense so they don't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be a high-scoring game. It makes the game feel more like it's in our control, so any time that I or any other pitcher can do that for our team, then we're happy."
# @UGAsoftball #
As a team, Georgia (2-0) hit six home runs in the twin bill while the combo of Shelby Walters and Lilli Backes worked 12 shutout innings in the circle, allowing just five hits and striking out a combined 12 batters Friday.
No. 6 Georgia 11, Murray State 0 (5 inn.)
The Bulldogs scattered 11 hits, nine of which went for extra bases (4 doubles, 5 home runs) against Murray State (0-2) in the opener. Jayda Kearney knocked two home runs while Sara Mosley, Sydney Kuma, and Ellie Armistead went deep as well in the game. Freshman Emily Digby had two hits and drove in four runs while fellow newcomer Sarah Gordon also had two hits with an RBI.
Walters (1-0) pitched a one-hit shutout in the circle. Walters took a no-hitter through four and a third innings in her start. She struck out seven Racers and walked two.
Kuma led off the bottom of the second with the first Georgia home run of the season, this one off the videoboard in right, 1-0 Georgia. Sydney Chambley walked, stole second, and scored on a single back up the middle off the bat of Gordon to widen the lead to 2-0.
Kearney led off the bottom of the third with a solo home run to make it 3-0 Georgia.
The bats came alive in the home half of the fourth. Digby drove in Gordon with a single up the middle, 4-0. Armistead and Mosley knocked back-to-back home runs to lengthen the lead to 7-0. Kearney kept it going with her second home run of the game, 8-0. The Dogs loaded the bases then Digby cleared them with one swing of the bat on a three-run double to left center, 11-0.
The Racers broke up Walters' no-hit bid with one out in the top of the fifth, but Walters secured the shutout.
No. 6 Georgia 4, South Dakota 0
The A four-run fifth inning lifted Georgia to a 4-0 victory in Friday's nightcap over South Dakota (0-2). Mosley blasted her second home run of the day and Chambley drove in three runs on a pair of hits in the contest.
Backes (1-0) pitched a seven-inning shutout in her Georgia debut in the circle, allowing four hits. She struck out eight Coyotes and did not allow a baserunner after a leadoff single in the top of the fourth.
Mosley broke the scoreless tie with a two-out solo home run, her second homer of the day, in the bottom of the fifth, 1-0. Chambley knocked a bases-loaded double to clear the bases and widen the lead to 4-0 after five.
The Dogs' 4-0 lead held as Backes retired the next six Coyote batters in order en route to Georgia's second shutout of the day.
Georgia returns to action Saturday at day two of the Red & Black Showcase at Jack Turner Stadium. The Bulldogs take on Murray State at 1 p.m. followed by Purdue at 3:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Head Coach Tony Baldwin
On the performances today...
"Great crowd. Thankful that the weather was great, and it looks like we're going to get another really good day tomorrow. Just excited to get out and play. We've been practicing for a long time. We've been talking since forever ago, when we were down in Tallahassee, and it was good to just get back out there and play a meaningful game. I thought the first game went about as well as you could hope for an opening game. Shelby [Walters] was just on point, commanding the whole day. I'm disappointed that she didn't get the no-hitter, the way that she had thrown the ball, but nonetheless, a shutout is going to make us hard to get beat. I thought the defense was outstanding, and I thought that way strung together a lot of good at bats. Fun to see the ball go out of the ballpark, but more so, that's a product of the discipline that we had and the pitch selection we've been working on. That second game, something that we've been talking about is playing under strain. When you play great teams, you are going to be under strain, and you have to respond to that. They came out there with a really good plan. Their pitcher was executing the plan outstandingly. They got some base runners that created some pressure, but I thought Lilli [Backes] handled it well. I thought our hitters showed good composure and just kept fighting. Ultimately, we were able to come out on top."
On Shelby Walters and Lilli Backes...
"Shelby, you know, we sat her out most of the fall, so she's been itching to go for weeks now. We knew that she would be ready to go, and she didn't disappoint. I thought she was incredibly sharp - up to 72 [miles per hour]. She had a really good command of her changeup. She was working both sides of the plate. Just on point. And then Lilli, for her first game - first meaningful game in the red and black - I don't know if you could ask for a whole lot more. She commanded the ball well. She worked both sides of the plate. She competed. She's just a really good competitor, and no doubt, she makes our team better by being here. We're anxious to get Madi [Kerpics] out there tomorrow and get her rolling."
#22 Emily Digby | INF | Fr.
On how it feels to play in a Georgia uniform for the first time…
"So awesome, oh my gosh. I grew up coming to these games, and it's just surreal to actually be in this uniform and be out here and playing under the lights."
#48 Shelby Walters | RHP | Gr.
On if the team is focusing on shutouts or if they are just an added bonus…
"I feel like that's always the goal. It's always great if I, or any of the pitchers, are able to put some goose eggs up there. I feel like it takes a little pressure off the offense so they don't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be a high-scoring game. It makes the game feel more like it's in our control, so any time that I or any other pitcher can do that for our team, then we're happy."
# @UGAsoftball #
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Walters, Shelby (1-0)
L: Haislip, Bre (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Kuma, Sydney 1 ; Gordon, Sarah 1 ; Digby, Emily 1 ; Armistead, Ellie 1
HR: Mosley, Sara 1 ; Kearney, Jayda 2 ; Kuma, Sydney 1 ; Armistead, Ellie 1
RBI: Mosley, Sara 1 ; Kearney, Jayda 2 ; Kuma, Sydney 1 ; Gordon, Sarah 1 ; Digby, Emily 4 ; Armistead, Ellie 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Mosley, Sara 1 ; Kearney, Jayda 2 ; Kuma, Sydney 2 ; Chambley, Sydney 2 ; Goodwin, Jaydyn 1 ; Gordon, Sarah 1 ; Digby, Emily 1 ; Armistead, Ellie 1
SB: Chambley, Sydney 1
HBP: Kuma, Sydney 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
LHP
/ Softball
OF/1B
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballC/UT
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
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