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By Olivia Sayer
Georgia first baseman Emily Digby (22) runs back to the dugout during an NCAA college softball game between Florida and Georgia at Jack Turner Stadium in Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Georgia won 11-6. (Photo/Callie Clark @cm_photography_co)
Not much went right for Georgia softball in its opening game of the NCAA Super Regionals. On a clear night in Los Angeles, the Bulldogs fell 8-0 in six innings to the UCLA Bruins in Easton Stadium.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, UCLA’s Savannah Pola singled through the right side to walk-off the game via run-rule.
The Bruins set the tone early, as Maya Brady homered to lead off the bottom of the first in front of her home crowd. After the adversity, Georgia starter Lilli Backes responded in dominant fashion by retiring the next eight batters she faced.
Brady was at the plate as the potential ninth-straight out in the bottom of the third. She lined a pitch to center field in the vicinity of Dallis Goodnight. However, the ball popped out of Goodnight’s glove to put a runner on second with two outs. UCLA’s Jadelyn Allchin followed with a single to give the Bulldogs a two-run deficit.
Georgia had trouble getting Brady, who is the niece of former NFL-star Tom Brady, out. She finished 3-for-4 with two home runs against the Bulldogs in game one. All three of her hits went for extra bases.
Jayda Kearney began the top of the fourth with an 11 pitch at-bat that ended with a walk. However, Georgia’s RBI-leader Sara Mosley immediately grounded out to the shortstop, who turned an impressive double play.
The Bruins’ defense was all over the field, consistently making plays to support their starter Kaitlyn Terry. Four batters into the game, Mosley laced a pitch to left field. However, UCLA’s Jadelyn Allchin made a sliding catch to rob her of a leadoff double.
Georgia ended the game with only four hits, all of which were singles.
Backes rolled through four innings in the circle and got out of a bases loaded situation to keep the Bruins’ lead at two. In the bottom of the fifth, however, the wheels fell off for the Bulldogs.
Brady homered on the second pitch of the inning to extend UCLA’s lead to three. After a single and a hit batter put two runners on, Backes delivered a pitch to Jordan Woolery that was directly over the plate. Woolery sent it to the deepest part of the ballpark to extend the Bruins’ lead to six.
That was the end of the line for Georgia’s ace, as Shelby Walters replaced Backes on the mound. Despite loading the bases, Walters struck out Brady to prevent a premature end to the game in the fifth.
An inning later, a walk and two singles off of Walters earned UCLA the run-rule victory.
Despite the final statistics, it was not a bad outing for either of Georgia’s pitchers. The lack of offense from the Bulldogs gave the Bruins momentum to control the game.
“Certainly, momentum’s a big thing in this game,” head coach Tony Baldwin said. “[UCLA’s] been playing with momentum, and it shows by the way they’re executing and their belief. When you’re talking about 18 to 22 year olds, those things make a big difference.”
The Bulldogs now have their backs against the wall, as a single loss will end their season. The odds are also not in Georgia’s favor, as 81% of the teams that won game one of their Super Regional advanced to the College World Series. The Bulldogs look to change that number in game two Friday at 10 p.m.
“It’s all about scrap, fight, and find a way,” Emily Digby said. “We’re all about that, and we’re going to show it tomorrow.”