Georgia Bulldogs Hold Off Late Alabama Surge to Take Game One

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 17 Georgia Bulldogs came into town with fiery determination, taking game one of the weekend series against No. 25 Alabama in a nail-biting 4-3 victory.

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The Bulldogs wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, jumping ahead in the first inning. Sarah Gordon sent a hard-hit ball to the right-field wall, driving in the game’s first run and giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead. 

Just like the first inning, the Bulldogs capitalized early in the second inning. Former Crimson Tide player Dallas Goodnight grounded out to short, and her effort was enough to score Emily Digby from third, extending the Bulldogs' advantage to 2-0. 

The Crimson Tide’s defense stiffened after the second inning, holding the Bulldogs to just two runs since then. However, at the top of the fifth, Lyndi Rae Davis put a charge into the ball, sending it deep to center field for a towering shot off the wall to increase the Bulldogs' lead to 3-0. 

The Crimson Tide, however, weren’t ready to give up just yet. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Brooke Ellestad broke through with an infield single, driving in a run and cutting the lead to 3-1. 

The Crimson Tide continued to claw back in the sixth inning. With a runner on second, it was Audrey Vandagriff who came through with a crucial single up the middle, scoring the runner from second and narrowing the Bulldogs’ lead to 3-2. 

In the top of the seventh, the Bulldogs found a way to extend their lead once again. Goodnight, who had already played a key role in the game, made her impact felt again, delivering a sac fly to right field to score a run and put the Bulldogs ahead 4-2.

The Crimson Tide didn’t back down and pushed hard for a late comeback. In the bottom of the seventh, Abby Duchscherer singled up the middle, bringing home Kristen White from third to make it 4-3. With the Crimson Tide attempting to tie the game they couldn’t manage to rally, and the Bulldogs held on for the win.

The Bulldogs' victory in the first game of the series gives them a crucial early advantage, with both teams looking to keep pace in the Southeastern Conference standings.

Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m., streaming on ESPN and available for listening through Catfish 100.1.