Happy Easter! The week just past was a bit of a light one for Georgia athletics, and you already know about the men’s lacrosse team’s big SELC win at Clemson, the Diamond Dogs’ three-game series with Arkansas, the Gym Dogs’ NCAA Regional victory, and, of course, Bubba Watson’s thrilling Masters victory in a sudden-death playoff. As usual, a tennis recap will follow shortly, but, for now, I bring you brief recaps of the rest of the Bulldog sports news (including an update on G-Day!) in the Sunday summary:
In a midweek doubleheader between two top ten teams, the Georgia softball team went 1-1 against Tennessee on Wednesday. The opening outing of the twin bill was an extra-inning affair, which was won by the Bulldogs on a run-scoring single by Paige Wilson in the visitors’ half of the eleventh canto. Erin Arevalo carded the complete-game victory with a nine-strikeout performance in the 3-1 triumph. Alas, the Lady Vols evened the two-game set in the nightcap, handing the Red and Black a 2-1 setback. Morgan Montemayor went the distance in the loss, fanning six but surrendering a pair of runs on four hits to fall to 8-4 for the campaign.
The Georgia track and field teams had a good weekend at the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla., highlighted by a national-best 8:49.28 steeplechase time turned in by Red and Black senior Matt Cleaver. Also among the Bulldog standouts were Torrin Lawrence (whose career-best 20.51 in the 200 ranks fifth in the Georgia record books), Megan Malasarte (whose 2:06.05 time in the 800 was the third-best in school history), Morgan VanGorder (who posted a personal-best 17:01.32 5,000 time), and the men’s 4x400-meter tandem of Phillip Adams, Chris Foster, Lawrence, and Waymon Storey (whose 3:06.08 time in the event was the seventh-best ever by a Bulldog foursome).
I had expected to devote this portion of the Sunday summary to recounting the Masters performances of two damn good ‘Dawgs, but Bryden Macpherson failed to make the cut and Bubba Watson earned immortality in Bulldog Nation by slipping on the green jacket in a ceremony presided over by fellow University of Georgia alumnus Billy Payne, so the Masters deserved, and received, its own front-page coverage. Accordingly, I will use this space instead to report that John Isner beat some French person named Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to put the United States in the Davis Cup semifinals. (Hat tip: vineyarddawg.)
As you may have noticed, this Saturday is G-Day. I’ll be in Athens for the festivities, starting with being in the stands for the women’s tennis match at noon before moving over to Foley Field for the baseball game at 1:00, and ultimately culminating in Sanford Stadium at 3:00. It’s been a busy time, and organization of plans for the spring scrimmage and surrounding Saturday sporting events has not been what I had hoped it would be, so, if you’re interested in crossing paths with me, and with some of the other Dawg Sports staff, in the Classic City this weekend, let me know in the comments below, and I will contact you individually by e-mail. Otherwise, look for this guy:
I’ll be the loud one wearing red and black.
Go ‘Dawgs!