Link to Article on The Red & Black
Georgia freshman Jayden Goodwin throws ball from outfield during the game. The University of Georgia softball team beat Georgia Southern 9-1 in 5 innings at Jack Turner Softball Complex in Athens, Georgia, on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (Photo/Mady Mertens; MadyMertensPhotography)
Two pitches.
It took only two pitches for sophomore Jaydyn Goodwin.
Goodwin’s six RBI and two home runs in as many at-bats propelled Georgia softball past Georgia Southern, 17-1, Wednesday evening at Jack-Turner Softball Stadium.
The six runs batted in was a career high for Goodwin, who only saw two pitches during the game.
“It seems like everything was clicking, being comfortable,” Goodwin said. “Believing in myself, not trying to overdo it, and just trusting what I work on every day at practice.”
Georgia jumped on the Eagles’ pitching early, as graduate Sydney Kuma plated one in the bottom of the first. Goodwin then brought her home with a towering blast to dead center.
Although Kuma’s RBI double may not stand out on the final scorecard, head coach Tony Baldwin said it was vital to establishing the tone of the game.
“[It] allowed everybody to kind of settle in and just play softball,” Baldwin said.
After scoreless innings in the circle by senior Riley Orcutt and sophomore Destin Howard, the Bulldogs’ offense went back to work in the bottom of the second. With two outs and two strikes, fifth-year Sara Mosley singled home Dallis Goodnight giving Georgia a 4-0 lead.
The next two batters followed with a single and a walk to load the bases for Goodwin. The only difference this time was she hit it to the right of the camera in center field.
Goodwin ambushed the first pitch from Bailey Holland, earning her first-career grand slam and giving the Bulldogs an eight-run lead. The homer sent Holland to the dugout early.
With a new pitcher toeing the rubber, senior Ellie Armistead walked up to the plate. Down to her final strike, Armistead drilled a pitch over the left field wall, scoring back-to-back homers for the Bulldogs, with six runs scored in the inning. Georgia finished the bottom of the second up by nine.
Georgia’s biggest offensive attack came in the bottom of the fourth when the Bulldogs scored eight runs, capped off by Tyler Ellison’s RBI double. Sophomore Marissa Miller tallied a home run in the inning as well with a three-run blast on a hitter’s count.
“We’ve kind of taken on this motto that tonight was the most important game in the country because we were playing in it, and that’s how we try to look at every single game,” Baldwin said. “It’s an important game if we’re playing, and if we’re playing in it, then we want to compete to the best of our ability with what we have.”
Georgia utilized everything it had, as all 17 position players got a chance to play — with all but four recording a hit. Baldwin said that this team is the best Georgia has had in terms of depth, which keeps everyone sharp.
In addition to hitting, Georgia’s pitching staff was sharp throughout the contest. Orcutt, Howard and Rachel Gibson combined for five innings of one-run ball. Georgia Southern’s lone run, scored in the top of the fifth, came off an error and a sacrifice fly, allowing Makayla Brantley to come home.
The Bulldogs next travel to Ole Miss from March 22-24 to face the Rebels in a three-game set. Ole Miss has won three of its past four series against Georgia.