No. 10 Georgia Edges Michigan in Home Opener, 3-2

Thursday, February 13

Athens, Ga.

6:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

6-0

Michigan

2-4

Michigan

Georgia

February 13, 2025 | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

SOFTBALL | vs. MICHIGAN | W, 3-2
   Winning pitcher: Lilli Backes (3-0)
   Save: Randi Roelling (1)
   Losing Pitcher: Lauren Derkowski (2-1)
Season Record: 6-0

ATHENS, Ga. – The 10^th-ranked Georgia softball team picked up a one-run win over Michigan in Thursday's home opener, 3-2.

Georgia climbs to 6-0 on the young season.

FAST FACTS

Senior Lilli Backes (3-0) earned the win in her four-inning start, striking out three Wolverines. Randi Roelling picked up the three-inning save, her first of the season, to close the game for the Bulldogs.
Graduate Lyndi Rae Davis blasted her first home run of the season, a solo shot to right, in the bottom of the third to widen the Dogs' lead to 3-0.
Dallis Goodnight paced the Bulldog offense with a pair of hits at the top of UGA's order. Freshmen Esther White and Paislie Allen each recorded picked up an RBI in the second inning to put Georgia ahead 2-0.

KEY QUOTES
Head coach Tony Baldwin
On today's performance...
" I just love the competitive nature of this group. We made some of our best plays, our best pitches, and we had some really clutch at bats when we needed them the most. The outcomes don't always go our way, but the intent, if we're in the right spot, then over time, those outcomes will go our way often enough for us to be a really good team. But I thought Lilli [Backes] really competed today. She didn't have her A game, but that's what the mark of a really good pitcher is. You can go out there and compete without your best stuff, and she gave us a chance. Randi [Roelling] came in, and, a little bit of the same, but made her biggest pitches when they were needed."

On the inconsistent offense.. [don't know how to phrase this positively]
"I thought that we put together a lot of really good at bats. In this game, it's so easy to judge the outcomes. Just because the outcome was bad didn't mean you weren't in the right spot, you weren't competing, you weren't trying. And, it's really early to start judging the outcomes. I thought, Sarah Gordon's trying to move a runner, hit behind, and she gets just a smidge too low, and it's a pop up. But, that intent will work out for us more over the course of the season. I thought Tyah [Charlton] really battled, you know, put a ball in play there, it was just a tough read for Emma [Castorri]. Mua [Williams] hits a ball that in a month is going to be on top of the building but the wind keeps it in and we don't score. So, there was a lot of really good things that maybe don't show up in the hit category, or you know the outcomes but I like the things that we did and we just got to keep working now."

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs are back in action on day two of the 18^th Annual Red & Black Showcase Presented by T-Mobile on Friday when Georgia takes on Michigan State at 6 p.m. Tickets for every day of the Red & Black Showcase can be purchased online at GeorgiaDogs.com.