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Olivia Sayer
Georgia third baseman Sara Mosley (33) celebrates after hitting a home run 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)
The roar of the crowd reverberated throughout Jack Turner Stadium.
Right as Jayda Kearney’s bat struck a pitch, Kearney knew it was going over the outfield wall. The three-run shot gave Georgia softball a lead it would never relinquish en route to an 11-6 victory over No. 12 Florida Saturday afternoon.
Prior to Kearney’s home run, the Bulldogs trailed the Gators and looked destined to lose the series. That projection changed with one swing of the bat.
“I’m just proud of the resilience that we showed,” head coach Tony Baldwin said. “Sometimes when you’re in a tough spot, the first sign of adversity just reverts back to you thinking, ‘here we go again.’ But I thought we really dug in today and competed.”
After being limited to just two hits in game one, Georgia’s seniors stepped up. The group combined for five home runs and 10 RBI.
“Really proud of our seniors,” Baldwin said. “And you know, just fun to see them settle in and just play softball. To let some of the burden go and just compete. When we play with that kind of freedom, we can be a pretty good team”
Georgia took all its offensive frustration out in the fifth inning, as they exploded for seven runs. With runners at the corners, Kearney’s home run gave Georgia a 4-3 lead. Sara Mosley then went back-to-back to put the Bulldogs up by two. It was Mosley’s first of two roundtrippers she hit in the contest.
A couple of batters later, Jaiden Fields sent a pitch over the left-field wall to score two more. Ellie Armistead then capped the inning off with an RBI-single to break it open.
In the circle, Lilli Backes allowed six runs on seven hits in as many innings. Her complete game allowed a short-staffed Georgia bullpen to take a day off.
“She was out there just gritting her teeth and getting the job done,” Baldwin said.
The Bulldogs attempted to take the series on Sunday at noon in their final home game of the season.