Link to Article on The Red & Black
Olivia Sayer
Georgia graduate student Sydney Kuma (6) in action 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)
With two outs and first base open, Georgia softball had a decision to make.
The Bulldogs were only trailing Arkansas by one in the final inning, but the Razorbacks’ hottest hitter, Bri Ellis, was up to the plate. This season, Ellis leads Arkansas in home runs and has 14 more RBIs than the rest of the Razorback hitters.
The Bulldogs pitched her well in the series, but the decision was seemingly made before Ellis stepped out of the visiting dugout. Catcher Marisa Miller set up to the far outside of the plate for four straight balls, with Georgia opting to intentionally load the bases.
One batter later, a hit by pitch scored a run for the Razorbacks. Four pitches later, Arkansas’ Hannah Gammill sent a ball well past the left field wall. The grand slam put the nail in the coffin for Georgia, losing 8-2 to Arkansas Monday evening at Jack Turner Softball Stadium.
“We had done a good job against [Ellis] most of the weekend,” head coach Tony Baldwin said of the decision to intentionally walk her. “But the hits that she did get were big, and they were difference makers.”
The loss gave No. 3 Georgia its first series loss of the season and second consecutive series loss to Arkansas in Athens.
The Bulldogs got down early, as Arkansas’ Raigan Kramer took Madison Kerpics deep on the fourth pitch of the game. An inning later, the Razorbacks hit a leadoff home run to left field to deepen Georgia’s deficit to two.
The Bulldogs were held hitless until the third inning, when Jayda Kearney blasted a game-tying homer to right center field.
“Just making sure that I was staying in my zone, not chasing pitches, and I was trying to get a base hit, just to keep it going,” Kearney said.
The home run was Kearney’s 14th of the season, only five away from tying her career-high of 19 – set in 2023.
Georgia got close to breaking out in the sixth when two singles put runners at the corners with two down. However, a flyout to the shortstop prematurely ended the inning.
In the seventh inning, the Razorbacks plated five runs, putting the game away.
Kerpics got the start for the Bulldogs in the circle, surrendering two runs on two hits. The initial plan was for her to go through the order once, but Baldwin opted to pivot after Arkansas’ leadoff homer in the second.
Shelby Walters came in for relief, pitching 2.1 innings of shutout ball. She left the game in the fourth, with a lefty at the plate and runners on first and second.
To satisfy the left-on-left matchup, Lilli Backes came into the game. She got Hannah Camenzind to ground into an unassisted double play, courtesy of great defense by Sydney Kuma.
The Bulldogs flashed the leather throughout the contest, making plays that rival those on SportsCenter’s Top 10. In the top of the sixth, Jaydyn Goodwin gunned down a runner trying to stretch a single for extra bases. In the fourth, Kuma sidearmed a throw to first after tagging a runner to complete an inning-ending double play.
“I think our defense is on fire,” Kearney said. “I mean, everyone that’s on the field is gonna go all out, no matter what. And I love seeing it come to light in the game.”
Georgia will next host Mercer in a midweek matchup Wednesday evening at 6 p.m.