OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – A resilient effort from the Georgia softball team (46-18) allowed the Bulldogs to defeat No. 8 Florida State (53-9) by a 5-4 tally on Thursday at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in the first round of the Women’s College World Series.
Georgia, which trailed 2-0 after one inning, responded with four runs over the next two frames to claim the lead. After seeing the lead slip away with a two-run homer in the sixth, the Bulldogs countered with a run of their own in the top of the seventh to claim their sixth win in program history in the Women’s College World Series.
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Georgia has now won its first game of the eight-team championship bracket in all three trips to Oklahoma City. The Bulldogs now await the winner of No. 4 Auburn and 12th-seeded UCLA for a matchup that will begin Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
The Seminoles jumped on top in the first, using a two-run blast from Jessica Warren to straightaway center to claim an early 2-0 lead.
Georgia punched back in the top of the second, putting its first two runners aboard on errors from the Seminoles. After a passed ball allowed the runners to advance, Maeve McGuire and Katie Browne hit back-to-back sacrifice flies to plate two runs and deadlock the game at 2-2.
The Bulldogs jumped ahead in the third, cashing in on a two-on, no-out start to the inning as Alyssa DiCarlo singled in Samantha LaZear to seize a 3-2 edge, and Tina Iosefa added on with a single of her own to bring in Sydni Emanuel for a two-run cushion.
Florida State knotted the game in the sixth inning, using a leadoff walk to set the stage for a two-run homer from Alex Powers to break even at 4-4. The outburst came on the heels of Chelsea Wilkinson finishing a stretch of 10 consecutive retired batters from the second through fifth innings.
Once again Georgia showed its ability to battle through adversity as Courtni Emanuel reached to start the frame, then promptly stole second and advanced to third on an error. She came in to score on a DiCarlo groundout to third, giving the Bulldogs the decisive 5-4 lead.