Softball America: 2024 Athens Regional HQ
Welcome to Athens. Can Georgia rekindle its early-season mojo to make it back to the Women’s College World Series?
Athens Regional Schedule
Broadcast team: Jenn Hildreth, Leah Amico
*All times Eastern
- Friday, May 17
- Liberty 6, Charlotte 3
- Dot Richardson expected this offense to be good coming into the season and it showed Friday. The Flames put together a five-run fourth inning against Charlotte’s dynamic duo of Sam Gress and Georgeanna Barefoot. Elena Escobar held the Niners to four hits to move on to the Winners’ Game.
- No. 11 seed Georgia 8, UNCW 0 (F/5)
- Sara Mosley’s first-inning grand slam gave Georgia an early start. The Bulldogs scored a pair in the third and fifth to put the run-rule in effect. Madison Kerpics allowed one hit in the five-inning win.
- Liberty 6, Charlotte 3
- Saturday, May 18
- Liberty 7, No.11 seed Georgia 3
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Liberty upset the No. 11 seed Georgia Bulldogs 7-3 on Saturday morning in a back-and-forth affair. Dallis Goodnight led off the game with a solo shot to deep right field, giving the Dawgs an early 1-0 lead.
The Flames responded by manufacturing a run in the bottom of the inning and scored again in the second on a Brooke Roberts two-run home run to put the Flames up 3-1.
Georgia battled back to tie the game in the fourth, loading the bases as Elena Escobar entered the circle for Liberty. Sydney Kuma drew a bases-loaded walk, and Jaydyn Goodwin bounced a single through the right side to even the score at 3-3.
It was all Liberty from that moment forward. Brynn McManus delivered in the fourth with a bases-clearing double to center put the Flames up 7-3.
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- Charlotte 5, UNCW 0 (UNCW eliminated)
- It was a pitcher’s duel for most of it between Georgeanna Barefoot and Kara Hammock aside from Arianna Rodi’s two-run home run in the third inning. Charlotte broke it open in the sixth with three runs from a handful of hits and an error from Wilmington. Barefoot allowed three hits in six innings of work.
- Georgia 5, Charlotte 0 (Charlotte eliminated)
- Lilli Backes gave the outing Georgia needed. The lefty tossed a complete game one-hitter against the stingy Charlotte lineup to up the Dawgs to Sunday. Backes didn’t have a ton of run support until late. After a pair of runs in the second, the bats came alive in the sixth going against Sam Gress for the third time. Sara Mosley lined a solo home run. Jaydyn Goodwin and Dallis Goodnight added a pair of insurance runs for Backes.
- Liberty 7, No.11 seed Georgia 3
- Sunday, May 19
- Georgia 14, Liberty 5
- The Bulldogs decided to come out swinging. Jayda Kearney crushed a solo home in the first inning that set the tone. Lyndi Rae Davis, Emily Digby, Sara Mosley and Sydney Chambley (twice) also homered. The most impressive part was that after Liberty pulled back within five runs, Georgia punched back. Chambley drove in another and Kearney had an RBI double to go back up eight runs before a pair of seven-inning home runs as well.
- Georgia 3, Liberty 2 (Georgia advances to Super Regionals)
- You’re not done until the final out and the bats can get hot at anytime. Georgia struggled at the plate all game long until the seventh. Dallis Goodnight, who has been Georgia’s best player of the weekend, pushed through the game-tying RBI in the seventh with two outs. Her speed allowed her to get to second as the potential game-winning run. Sydney Chambley came through with the walk-off base knock off the center field wall. Georgia found a way and the Bulldogs are headed to the Super Regionals.
- Georgia 14, Liberty 5
- Athens Regional Stats
| Team (Record) | Scoring (Rank) | ERA (Rank) | FLD % (Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia (39-16) | 5.87 (31st) | 2.63 (40th) | 0.976 (13th) |
| Charlotte (38-16) | 5.41 (50th) | 2.75 (49th) | 0.966 (93rd) |
| Liberty (36-23) | 4.12 (160th) | 3.20 (105th) | 0.966 (98th) |
| UNC Wilmington (34-21) | 3.65 (212th) | 2.15 (19th) | 0.967 (87th) |
Athens Regional Stars
No. 11 Georgia (SEC At-Large Bid)
- RF Jayda Kearney
- 3B Sara Mosley
- 2B Sydney Kuma
- LHP Lilli Backes
2-seed Charlotte (AAC Regular Season and Tournament Champs)
- 1B Arianna Rodi
- 3B Ella Chancey
- RHP Georgeanna Barefoot
- RHP Sam Gress
3-seed Liberty (CUSA Regular Season and Tournament Champs)
- RF Rachel Roupe
- 1B Megan Fortner
- LHP Kaylan Yoder
- RHP Elena Escobar
4-seed UNC Wilmington (CAA Tournament Champs)
- CF Cassidy Relay
- LF Skylar Stockton
- RHP Kara Hammock
- RHP Emily Winstead
