Georgia Bulldogs Women's Softball and Tennis Teams Dominate in Wednesday Action

Although Bulldog Nation’s primary focus is on Friday night’s NCAA Tournament outing, there are other sports being played in the Classic City besides men’s basketball. Some of these involve female student-athletes, and some of those teams are quite good. Here is a synopsis of how two such squads performed in Wednesday evening’s action:

In the first game of a Wednesday doubleheader in Columbia, S.C., the Georgia women’s softball team carded an 8-4 victory over South Carolina. SEC Freshman of the Week Morgan Montemayor spent four innings in the circle, carding the victory, while Sarah McCloud and Alison Owen combined for three cantos of scoreless relief.

The Bulldogs got on the board first when third baseman Alisa Goler (1 for 3, 1 RBI) sent a two-out home run to center field in the top of the opening stanza. The Athenians extended their lead to 5-0 in the third frame on a leadoff home run by center fielder Taylor Schlopy (1 for 4, 1 RBI), an RBI single by right fielder Brianna Hesson (3 for 4, 2 RBI), and a two-run shot by first baseman Kristyn Sandberg (2 for 4, 3 RIWWB).

The Gamecocks cut into the visitors’ lead with a run in the bottom of the third inning and three more in the home half of the fifth canto, but the Red and Black extended their advantage in the top of the seventh stanza, turning a leadoff walk, a pair of one-out singles, a South Carolina fielding error, and a double into the three runs that provided the final margin.

In the second game of the midweek SEC twin bill, Owen carded the complete-game shutout, striking out six and walking none while holding the host squad to four hits in seven scoreless stanzas. The score was snarled at a goose egg per side following three cantos, but the Bulldogs took a slim 1-0 edge in the top of the fourth frame off of a first-pitch leadoff home run by left fielder Megan Wiggins (1 for 3, 1 RIWWB).

The Athenians extended their advantage in the ensuing inning, when designated player Brittney Hubbard’s one-out base hit and second baseman Ashley Pauly’s two-out single were followed by Schlopy’s three-run shot to center field. The scoring concluded with a leadoff home run by Goler in the sixth stanza. The Gamecocks produced only one hit in the last three innings en route to their second straight setback of the day.

One day after blanking Butler 7-0, the Georgia women’s tennis team was very nearly as dominant in a 6-1 win over the lady netters’ Yale counterparts. The doubles point went to the Southern Bulldogs, who carried that momentum into the singles competition, building up a 3-0 lead on the New England Bulldogs before Kate Fuller bested Annie Sullivan (no, not the teacher from "The Miracle Worker") 6-1, 6-0 to clinch the match for the Red and Black.

The triumph was Georgia’s eighth straight, marking the longest victory skein for the women’s tennis team in two years, and it gave head coach Jeff Wallace his 550th win as the skipper in the Classic City. The Red and Black are now 10-1 for the season and 2-0 all-time against Old Eli.

Go ‘Dawgs!