No. 9 Georgia Improves to 12-0, Downs Syracuse 8-2

Saturday, February 22

Athens, Ga.

3:30 p.m.

University of Georgia

12-0

Syracuse

11-1

Syracuse

Georgia

February 22, 2025 | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

SOFTBALL | vs. SYRACUSE | RESULT
Winning pitcher: Lilli Backes (6-0)
Losing Pitcher: Sydney Jackson (0-1)

Season Record: 12-0

ATHENS, Ga. – The ninth-ranked Georgia softball team improved to 12-0 in 2025, defeating Syracuse 8-2 on Saturday at Jack Turner Stadium.

Georgia's 12-0 start matches 2017's start for the second-best start in program history. Georgia opened the 2002 season 24-0.

FAST FACTS

Georgia and Syracuse entered the contest each 11-0. The Georgia win was the first Orange loss this season.
Senior Lilli Backes pitched the complete game in the circle. She allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out seven Syracuse batters.
The Bulldogs broke up a no-hitter and put up four runs in the third to take a 4-1 lead. Dallis Goodnight's RBI tied the game then Jaydyn Goodwin provided the go-ahead hit. Sarah Gordon's two-RBI single added to the new lead.
Goodwin paced the offense, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and scored three runs. Goodnight (two hits, two RBI, two runs) also helped lift Georgia to victory.

KEY QUOTE
Head coach Tony Baldwin
On coming back from being behind…
"We're just continuing to grow our resolve and resilience. Our ability to just stay in the fight and keep playing softball. I just talked to them down there about the key to success in this game and consistency is not riding the wave of emotion on every outcome. We're all competitors. We want to win. They want to get hits, they want to get outs. Nobody wants poor outcomes, but it's just part of the game. You just have to be able to take it and learn from it and move on to the next one. I thought that we've done that two nights in a row where as the game moved along, we played better and better. I think that's a tribute to the leadership that we have on this team, the character that we have on this team, and certainly the talent."

On Lilli's ability to pitch long outings…
"She's just a competitor. Her nickname is KOA, but she's just a battler. I don't even know that she had her b-stuff in today, but she battled and she battled. She made some big pitches when she really needed to. Those are the kinds of things that you know you always got in your back pocket. Later on down the season you can look back on it and say I've done this before."

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will play Syracuse and Utah Valley at 1 and 3:30 p.m., respectively, on Sunday to close action at the Georgia Classic. Tickets for every day of the Georgia Classic can be purchased online at GeorgiaDogs.com.