Georgia softball team outlasts Duke to win NCAA Athens Regional

The Georgia softball team could rest easy Saturday night knowing that the Bulldogs had secured a spot in Sunday’s regional final. Meanwhile, Duke and Western Kentucky were left to battle it out in an elimination game to keep their seasons alive.

The Blue Devils were able to stave off The Hilltoppers in a wild extra inning affair by pushing across four runs in the 12th inning to secure a 4-0 victory over Western Kentucky. The Blue Devils’ win set up a rematch between Duke and the Bulldogs, with a trip to the super regionals on the line.

The Bulldogs offense jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning courtesy of a two out double from freshman right fielder Jada Kearney. Georgia was unable to add any insurance in the first, and stranded runners at second and third. Moving to the top of the third, Duke evened the score at one, after a throwing error by Georgia third baseman Savanna Sikes, followed by an RBI single by Blue Devil third baseman Gisselle Tapia. Duke added some insurance runs after a bloop, two-RBI single from right fielder Caroline Jacobson to take a 3-1 lead going into the home half of the third.

The Blue Devil lead did not last long as the Bulldogs capitalized off two walks to open the frame, giving Georgia designated player Sara Mosley a chance to come up with Bulldogs on the base paths. Mosley delivered by hammering a three-run homer to give Georgia a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third.

In this back-and-forth game, Duke roared back again, tying the game at four on an RBI single from centerfielder Kyla Morris. The Blue Devils followed with a haymaker as Tapia mashed a bases clearing double to give Duke a 7-4 lead in the fourth.

Georgia was able to cut the Blue Devil lead to one on the strength of an RBI single from freshman second baseman Sydney Kuma, as well as a blue devil wild pitch. The Bulldogs were unable to hold the Duke lead to one, when Blue Devil second baseman Katrina Foreman belted a 2 run homer off of Georgia senior Lauren Mathis in the top of the fifth.

Georgia responded with a bomb of their own in the bottom half of the 5th inning when leftfielder Sydney Chambley hit a solo shot, her second homer of the regional, to close the gap to 9-7.

In the back and forth slugfest, Georgia’s Kuma came up big again, tying the ball game at nine with a two-RBI single. It was a brand new ballgame in Athens as they headed to sixth inning.

In hopes of settling things down, Georgia turned back to its senior, Mary Wilson Avant in the circle. Avant had some help keeping the Blue Devils off the board in the sixth, thanks in part to a diving catch from Bulldog leftfielder Chambley. Chambley quickly become the star of the game, after she was able to once again deliver at the plate, giving Georgia a 10-9 lead in the sixth. Georgia outlasted Duke as Avant stranded the tying-run at second to hold onto the victory for the Bulldogs.

Chambley talked about the resiliency of the Georgia team to be able to fight back and get the victory after being down for the majority of the game. “I think that’s the proof of Georgia softball. That’s what we do best. We fight hard. We give everything on the field.”

The road doesn’t get any easier for Georgia as the Bulldogs will head to Gainesville to face rival Florida in Georgia’s 11th super regional appearance in program history.

Tony Walsh