(Desperate times call for desperate measures. The Diamond Dogs badly needed some rest before a daunting weekend series that, quite frankly, almost certainly will end in a three-game sweep, but that left me without a midweek baseball game to cover, so what am I going to do . . . suggest a bourbon for you to try? Instead, I decided to cover an outing by the eighth-ranked Georgia softball team. Here goes nothing:)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennesaw State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Georgia | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 8 | 9 | 1 |
The Owls were held hitless in the top of the first frame, in which the lone baserunner reached first on an error and her teammates all struck out swinging. Georgia immediately grabbed the lead in the bottom of the inning when Taylor Schlopy led off with her seventh home run of the season, after which three singles, a walk, and a fielding error combined to plate two additional runs.
Kennesaw State answered with a solo shot by Kelsey Kulk in the top of the second stanza, but the Bulldogs resumed the barrage in the home half of the canto. A one-out triple by Megan Wiggins and a two-out double by Ashley Razey combined to score one run, then consecutive walks loaded the bases for Jennie Auger. The Red and Black right fielder’s ensuing base hit, coupled with a throwing error by Jensen Hackett, scored two more.
The third inning saw the Owls go three up and three down, while the Bulldogs generated a run on a Schlopy single, a groundout, a passed ball, and a double-steal. The Owls narrowed the gap in the visitors’ half of the fourth frame on a double by Jenna Closner and a two-run shot to right center field by Kulk.
That was the last of the scoring, and of the hitting, until the bottom of the sixth stanza, which Wiggins led off with a home run. Closner’s base hit to begin the top of the seventh canto amounted to nothing, as the next three Kennesaw State batters generated only outs, so the seventh-inning stretch marked the conclusion of an 8-3 Georgia victory.
Uh . . . all right, I’m at a loss here; or, rather, I’m at a win here. I’m sorry, but I’m out of practice at this sort of thing. Gosh. Well, Taylor Schlopy (2 for 4, 1 HR, 1 RBI) and Megan Wiggins (3 for 4, 1 HR, 1 RBI) performed well at the plate, and Alison Owen carded the win to improve to 5-0. She and starter Katie Murphy between them struck out eleven, walked none, and allowed three earned runs on four hits. The Bulldogs upped their record for the season to 25-6 and the softball team also exacted revenge on Kennesaw State for what the Owls’ baseball team did to the Diamond Dogs.
Wow. A good Georgia team won a game while performing well in every phase. I had forgotten what it felt like to write about that.
Go ‘Dawgs!