Link to Article on The Red & Black
By Olivia Sayer
Georgia 5th year Sara Mosley (33) celebrates home run during a NCAA college softball game between Georgia Tech and Georgia at Jack Turner Stadium in Athens, Georgia, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Georgia won 6-3. (Photo/Mady Mertens: @MadyMertensPhotography)
Georgia softball made a statement in its first game of the 2024 NCAA Athens Regional. In their home ballpark, the Bulldogs defeated Coastal Athletic Association champion UNC Wilmington 8-0 in five innings Friday afternoon.
The Bulldogs walked the game off in the bottom of the fifth when Lyndi Rae Davis singled home Hannah Davila. Davila served as a pinch-runner for Sara Mosley, who singled to put Georgia within a run of bringing the run-rule into effect. After a wild pitch allowed Davila to advance to second, Sydney Kuma moved her to third with a flyout to right field. Davis then brought Davila home with a single through the right side of the diamond.
Georgia started its tournament run in grand fashion, as Sara Mosley smashed a grand slam with nobody out in the bottom of the first. The big hit allowed the Bulldogs to relax and “just play softball” for the rest of the game.
“I thought our hitters did a good job of controlling the strike zone,” head coach Tony Baldwin said. “And then Sara certainly got the big hit to kind of take some of the pressure off and just let us play softball the rest of the game.”
Two walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for Mosley, who leads Georgia in RBIs. The Bulldogs’ patience at the plate demonstrated the team-first mentality emphasized in practice.
“Hitting is contagious, and there’s a lot of mental and mindset piece of that,” Baldwin said prior to the game. “I feel like we’ve started to free ourselves up a little bit and just compete for the team, be less consumed with their own individual outcomes. That’s where the joy is, is when you’re playing for the team. And the postseason is the perfect time to be invested in that.”
Madison Kerpics was close to perfect in the circle for the Bulldogs, as she surrendered no runs in five innings. Kerpics held the Seahawks to just one hit and two walks.
Since returning from illness in the SEC Tournament, Kerpics has helped further solidify a pitching staff that has carried Georgia through its late-season offensive scuffles. Against the Seahawks, she was just as efficient. The Bulldogs turned two double plays to limit Kerpics’ total pitches to only 62.
“Before the game we talked a lot about UNCW’s offense and how they try to apply pressure,” Kerpics said of her efficiency. “So just trusting in my defense and making good pitches. And just basically trusting myself.”
Georgia will next face Liberty Saturday at 11 a.m. The Flames defeated Charlotte 6-3 in game one.