Bulldogs Come Back to Beat Chanticleers in NCAA Tournament Opener, 6-3

Friday, May 16

Durham, N.C.

2:30 p.m.

University of Georgia

32-20

Coastal Carolina

41-18

Coastal Carolina

Georgia

Bulldogs Come Back to Beat Chanticleers in NCAA Tournament Opener, 6-3

May 16, 2025 | Softball

Box Score

SOFTBALL | vs. COASTAL CAROLINA | W, 6-3
Winning pitcher: Lilli Backes (15-9)
Losing Pitcher: Nicolette Picone (28-10)

Season Record: 32-20, 7-16 SEC

ATHENS, Ga. – The Georgia softball team overcame an early three-run deficit, scoring six unanswered runs, to beat Coastal Carolina 6-3 on Friday in the first game of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Georgia advances in the Durham Regional to take on host (14) Duke on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

FAST FACTS

Georgia out-hit the Chanticleers 10-4 in the game. Emily Digby scattered three hits to lead the team, tying a career-high, while Lyndi Rae Davis and Mua Williams each had two hits.
Williams drove in three of Georgia's six runs in the game. Her RBI single in the second cut the CCU lead to 3-2, then her two-RBI single in the third put the Bulldogs ahead 6-3.
Lilli Backes pitched the complete game in the circle, allowing three runs on three hits. She struck out nine in the contest. After CCU scored three runs on three hits in the first, Backes limited the Chanticleers to one hit in the final six shutout innings.
Three-run, four-hit innings in the second and third erased an early Coastal Carolina 3-0 lead to put Georgia ahead 6-3 heading to the fourth. Mua Williams drove in three runs on a pair of hits to highlight the early scoring.

KEY QUOTES
Head Coach Tony Baldwin
On Friday's game…
"I'm just proud of the way we played a complete game. Obviously, that wasn't the start we were looking for, but I thought Lilli [Backes] really bounced back and controlled the game after that. One hit in six innings against a really good hitting team is impressive. I thought her and Chelsea [Wikinson], and Marisa [Miller] worked well together with the game plan, and she just had her stuff working. I thought offensively, we had a lot of quality at-bats. They didn't all turn into hits; I thought in that first inning we had three really good at-bats and it didn't amount to much, but that's the part of the game. You've got to keep being relentless with your competitiveness, and I thought we did a good job with that. I thought we ran the bases well, and I thought we defended well. The play by [Emily] Digby there was unreal. I'm just excited to put a complete game together. And now we've got to rest up and be ready for a really good Duke team tomorrow."

UP NEXT
Georgia advances in the Durham Regional to take on host (14) Duke on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., streaming on ESPN+.