University of Georgia
Lipscomb
No. 3 Georgia Wins Red & Black Showcase
February 13, 2011 | Softball
Feb. 13, 2011
 Macie Couey went 2-for-3 vs. Lipscomb and sparked the Bulldogs' six-run sixth inning.  | |
Georgia-Maryland Box Score in PDF Format 
Georgia-Lipscomb Box Score in PDF Format
No. 3 Georgia Wins Red & Black Showcase
ATHENS, Ga. - The third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs defeated Maryland, 8-2, and Lipscomb, 7-4, on Sunday at Jack Turner Softball Stadium to complete the opening weekend of the 2011 season at 5-0 and win the Fourth-Annual Red & Black Showcase.
Georgia won its home tournament by playing and winning against each visiting team once. Illinois State finished second with a 4-1 mark only losing to the Bulldogs. East Carolina and Maryland concluded the weekend with 2-3 records while Iowa and Lipscomb wrapped up play in the Showcase at 1-4 each.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs' two wins were the tale of two different stories. Against Maryland, Georgia tied a school record with five home runs led by senior Brianna Hesson's two long balls as the Bulldogs powered past the Terrapins, 8-2. In the second game of the day against Lipscomb, Georgia trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the sixth but sent 11 batters to the plate that inning scoring six runs to rally from behind for a 7-4 victory.
Georgia returns to action Feb. 18-20 as it plays host to the Eighth-Annual Georgia Softball Classic at Jack Turner Stadium. Visiting teams for the Bulldogs' second home tournament will include Buffalo, Marshall, North Carolina State, North Dakota State and Winthrop.
Georgia 8, Maryland 2:
In Georgia's first game on Sunday, the Bulldogs tied a school record with five home runs en route to defeating Maryland, 8-2. Hesson led the power display with her second-career two-home run performance.
The five home runs in a game by the Bulldogs had occurred on three previous occasions in school history with the most recent time coming exactly one-year ago to the day on Feb. 13, 2010, against UCF at the National Collegiate Softball Invitational in Clermont, Fla. The contest vs. UCF also happens to be the other time Hesson has his two home runs in a game.
On Sunday against Maryland, Hesson was joined in hitting long balls by senior Taylor Schlopy, freshman Julia Echols and junior Kristyn Sandberg.
Schlopy's home run jump started the output as it was a leadoff homerun in the bottom of the first that gave UGA a 1-0 lead.
In the second, Echols recorded her first career hit, an opposite field, solo home run to right to extend the Bulldog lead to 2-0.
Hesson and Sandberg joined in the home run parade in the third to extend the lead to 5-0. With senior Alisa Goler on base after singling to right, Hesson blasted a two-run home run to right center. A Maryland pitching change to bring in reliever Kerry Hickey and an out later, Sandberg hit a solo homer to right center.
In the fifth, Maryland picked up two runs on a home run of its own from Bree Hanafin to cut the lead to 5-2, but Hesson answered in the bottom of the frame with her second round-tripper to push the lead back to four runs at 6-2.
The Bulldogs' added two runs in the sixth to give the game its final margin as junior Ashley Pauly recorded an RBI triple and Wiggins added a run-scoring groundout.
With the five home runs leading the offense, freshman Morgan Montemayor and senior Katie Murphy combined to keep the Terrapins at bay from the circle. Montemayor made her second career start and earned her second win by tossing five innings allowing the Maryland home run and walking two while striking out eight. Murphy came on for the final two innings and only allowed one hit while striking out two.
Maryland starter Kendra Knight (0-2) exited the game after allowing four runs on seven hits in 2.1 innings and suffered the loss.
Georgia 7, Lipscomb 4:
In the second game for Georgia on Sunday, the Bulldogs had to rally from behind to defeat Lipscomb and remain unbeaten in the tournament.
After the game went scoreless through the first three frames, Lipscomb put up the first two runs in the fourth. Breanna Thurman singled, stole second and scored on a double to right center from Mollie Mitchell. Haley Elliot then followed with a single up the middle scoring Mitchell.
In the fifth, Georgia cut the Lipscomb lead to 2-1. Senior Laura Trout legged out an infield single to shortstop to keep the inning alive. Junior Ashley Pauly stepped to the plate next and singled to right, and on the play, Bison right fielder Caroline Mason committed a fielding error allowing Trout to score.
The Lady Bisons picked that run back up in the top of the sixth on an RBI double from Mitchell. Thurman scored the run from second after drawing a walk and stealing second.
Georgia then found its stride in the bottom half of the sixth. Sophomore Macie Couey, who recorded her first multiple-hit game of her career by going 2-for-3, started the frame off with a single on a hard hit ball back up the middle that went off of the pitcher's foot.
Two batters later, senior Megan Wiggins delivered a two-run, game-tying double to left center. It was the 200th career hit for Wiggins making her only the sixth player in school history to reach the 200 hit mark.
After a groundout moved Wiggins up to third, Wiggins beat a throw to the plate to score the go-ahead run as Hesson reached on a fielder's choice. The Bulldogs then proceeded to load the bases and keep the runs coming in as Trout and Pauly picked up RBI singles and Couey added an RBI groundout.
By the end of the sixth, the Bulldogs had sent 11 batters to the plate scoring six runs on six hits and building a 7-3 lead.
Lipscomb's Courtney Billington picked up an RBI by hitting into a fielder's choice and beating out a possible double play in the seventh to give the game its final score.
Montemayor (3-0) picked up her second win of the day and third on the weekend after pitching 1.0 innings of relief. Starter Erin Arevalo returned to get the final out of the seventh and earn her first save of the year, and for the game, Arevalo tossed a total of 4.1 innings striking out six. Her career strikeout total now stands at 202 making her just the ninth player in school history to eclipse 200 career strikeouts.
Whitney Kihnl held the Bulldogs at bay until the sixth inning outburst and suffered the loss to fall to 1-3.
Fourth-Annual Red & Black Results:
Friday, February 11:
East Carolina 1, Lipscomb 0
Lipscomb 5, Iowa 4
Illinois State 8, East Carolina 0
Iowa 1, Maryland 0
Georgia 2, Illinois State 1
Saturday, February 12:
East Carolina 1, Iowa 0
Georgia 8, Iowa 1
Georgia 1, East Carolina 0
Illinois State 2, Lipscomb 0
Illinois State 5, Maryland 0
Maryland 4, Lipscomb 3
Sunday, February 13:
Illinois State 13, Iowa 4
Maryland 3, East Carolina 1
Georgia 8, Maryland 2
Georgia 7, Lipscomb 4
