Pershelle Rohrer
Sports Communications Graduate Assistant
University of Georgia Athletic Association
The No. 11 national seed Georgia softball team defeated the Liberty Flames twice on Sunday to punch its ticket to the NCAA Super Regionals.
The Bulldogs beat Liberty 14-5 behind six home runs in Game 6 of the Athens Regional to force a winner-take-all Game 7. It was a pitcher’s duel most of the game, but seventh inning heroics from Dallis Goodnight and Sydney Chambley lifted Georgia to a 3-2 victory and a spot in the Super Regionals.
Game 1 Fast Facts
• Jayda Kearney and Sara Mosley each hit a home run, recording number 20 on the season for both. They become the first Georgia teammates to hit 20 home runs in the same season.
• Georgia’s six home runs is the most by the Bulldogs in a single game since March 5, 2016, vs. Austin Peay.
• Mosley inches closer to the career record of 68 home runs, now with 65.
• Georgia scattered a season-high 17 hits, eight going for extra bases (2 doubles, 6 home runs).
• Sydney Chambley tied a career-high four hits and recorded her seventh career two-home run day.
• Lyndi Rae Davis joined Chambley and Kearney with three RBI apiece.
Game 2 Fast Facts
• This will be Georgia’s 13th Super Regional appearance in program history. The Bulldogs last made back-to-back Super Regional appearances in 2015 and 2016.
• 43 wins ties for the most in the Tony Baldwin era, matching 43 in his first season in 2022.
• Lilli Backes pitched a complete game in the circle, allowing two runs on four hits to the Flames. She walked none and struck out two. She finished the day pitching 10 and a third innings.
• Down 2-1 going to the top of the seventh, Emily Digby reached on a one-out single, her second hit of the game, then was bunted to second by Ellie Armistead. Digby scored on a single back up the middle off the bat of Dallis Goodnight to tie the game, 2-2, with two out.
• After an impressive Game 6, Sydney Chambley sent the first pitch she saw over the head of the centerfielder to drive in Goodnight and walk it off, 3-2.
Key Quotes
Head Coach Tony Baldwin
On the difficulty of the day...
"Wow! What a day! Just thankful for all the people that put on the event this weekend and dealing with all of the circumstances with the weather and the different things. A lot of people involved put this together. Hats off to Liberty. The competitor in their team showed up and they were certainly a worthy opponent. And Elena [Escobar], the way that she bounced back in that second game was as good as anybody we've seen. I mean, we've faced them all. Maybe there's one or two out there that we haven't seen, but it seems like we've seen all the top ones out there, and she was as good today at executing her pitches, and the spin, and the change in speeds was really good. Just proud of our team and the fight. I thought we came out obviously with a lot of fight in game one, and were getting some good pitches to hit and took care of business there. And sometimes when things go your way, when there's such a gap, when it's just everything's going right in that first game, that second game is a real mental challenge because as soon as maybe it doesn't go that way, then you start to think 'Oh no'. And we maybe did that for a few innings there, but I thought we got back into just really competing, and then we showed the fight and competitiveness that our group has, and I'm just really proud of them."
On some of the strength the team showed...
"Lili B[ackes] was unbelievable, just such a competitor. And then, I thought our defense was amazing. We made a lot of really good plays. Played clean softball, really, for the whole weekend. Again, I can't say enough how proud I am of our group. How excited and thrilled that we get to, we get to play some more softball. When we set out this weekend that was the goal. Not let this be the end, and thankfully, that's why it worked out."
On the impressive defensive plays the team made today...
"When I was fortunate enough to become the head coach, one of the things we set out to do was become one of the better defensive teams in the country. To do what we want to do, you have to be great on all three phases. And, I don't know if we're there yet, but we're on the right path and we're making strides. We don't get the outcomes today without the defense and JT [D'Amico] does a great job. That's why we were excited to get him to come to Athens. He invests in our players. Our players are prepared. He works well with Chelsea [Wilkinson] as to where we need to be to defend this particular hitter. And then, ultimately, we're a pretty athletic team, so that gives us an opportunity to go steal some plays. I'm not going to pound my chest, but I'm gonna pound my chest. I'll take [Sydney Kuma's] athletic ability at second base over anybody in the country. She can go make plays that not very many people can. [Dallis Goodnight] can go get them as well as anybody. [Jaydin Goodwin] has just got a knack for the ball going in her glove. It's not always the prettiest thing you've ever seen, but it seems to find her glove a lot, and Ellie [Armistead] made some unbelievable plays. [Emily Digby] has been a game-changer for us at first base with some of the defensive plays she's made. I was really proud of Lyndi Rae [Davis]. I thought she caught really well today. She bounced out and fielded a bunt, made a bunt play, and worked really hard for our pitchers. So yeah, defensively, I thought we were really sharp, and if we can continue to do that, then we can compete at a pretty high level."
Dallas Goodnight | Jr.
On the difference between games against same pitcher…
"Just staying within ourselves and doing what Georgia Softball does, not worrying about the other team. She's a great competitor, a great pitcher. So just doing our thing, trusting ourselves and our process."
Sydney Chambley | Sr.
On her winning hit…
"I'm thinking about what my teammates have set me up to be in that position, the confidence in my teammates put me there, so I'm going to get the job done. For them and just see ball, hit ball and everything."
On the difference between games against same pitcher…
"I think when you get caught up in how they throw or what they throw, it's only going to lead you to failure because it makes you start thinking less of us as a team. The less thinking we do, the more just getting in there, being competitive, playing softball, seeing the ball like that is how we should always go. I think for us, it's just we're great hitters. She's a great pitcher, yes, but how can we be competitive. Just like that last inning and it's finding a way to just make it happen. Whether we get the outcome or not, like we've been saying all season, it doesn't matter.”
Up Next
Georgia will face the winner of the Los Angeles Regional between No. 6 UCLA and Grand Canyon in the Super Regional round next weekend.
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