| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Georgia Bulldogs | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | X | 10 | 6 | 0 |
On Wednesday evening, the second-ranked Red and Black softball team hosted the Bulldogs’ in-state rivals in Athens for the opening outing of a ten-game homestand, in which Georgia notched a 10-2 run-rule victory over Georgia Tech.
After starting pitcher and SEC freshman of the week Morgan Montemayor surrendered only a one-out single in the top of the first inning, the Red and Black came to the plate in the bottom of the frame and staked themselves to an early lead. A dropped fly ball allowed center fielder and Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award finalist Taylor Schlopy to reach base and advance to second, from which she scored on a single by right fielder and USA Softball collegiate player of the week Brianna Hesson.
The Engineers went three up and three down in the top of the second stanza before the Bulldogs took advantage of a pair of Georgia Tech errors in the home half of the canto. Designated player Brittney Hubbard led off with a single and stole second. A muffed throw on a sacrifice bunt put runners at the corners, enabling second baseman Ashley Pauly to score Hubbard with a sacrifice fly. A pair of stolen bases, a throwing error, and a four-pitch walk saw third baseman Alisa Goler step into the batter’s box with three of her teammates aboard, and she brought home four unearned runs with a grand slam.
Following a third inning in which neither squad produced a baserunner, the Yellow Jackets got on the board in the visitors’ half of the fourth frame with a leadoff single and a two-run shot to left field. The Red and Black responded in the bottom of the stanza with a leadoff single by Pauly, a walk drawn by left fielder Megan Wiggins, and a home run by Goler. A subsequent single, plus a pair of wild pitches, permitted another run to score, permitting the home team to secure a run-rule victory.
Morgan Montemayor went the distance, carding a five-inning win in which she struck out six and conceded no walks. The star of the night at the plate, of course, was Alisa Goler, who went two for three and notched seven of the nine RBI carded by the Bulldogs. The fact that it was a typical day at the office for this Georgia team should not detract from the reality that the Red and Black are doing darned fine work on the softball field.
Go ‘Dawgs!