University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
29-10
USC-Upstate
24-16
No. 14 Bulldogs Race Past Spartans in Athens, 19-6
April 08, 2026 | Softball
SOFTBALL | vs. USC Upstate | W, 19-6 (5 inn.)
Winning Pitcher: Maddie Johnson (1-1)
Losing Pitcher: Ashlyn Brown (1-2)
Fast Facts:
- RHP Destin Howard made the start in the circle going 2.0 innings with one hit, one earned run, two walks and one strikeout. LHP Ada Little, RHP Presley Harrison and RHP Maddie Johnson pitched in relief combing for three innings of work and five earned runs. Johnson earned the win with one strikeout and three batters faced.
- Georgia broke the game open in the third inning, erupting for 14 runs on 11 hits, turning a close game into a run-rule margin.
- Freshman Gabi Novickas highlighted the first inning with a grand slam to left field in a 2-2, two runs, four RBI performance.
- This game marked the second time this season with 11 or more runs in one inning for the Bulldogs. The previous game was against Mercer on March 25, 2025.
- Georgia made 19 plate appearances in the third inning, setting a school record for plate appearances in a single inning, surpassing the previous mark of 18 against Delaware on March 8, 2013.
- The Spartans did the bulk of their offensive work in the fourth inning scoring five runs in the top of the frame.
- Georgia improves to 9-4 all-time against USC Upstate.
Head Coach Tony Baldwin
On overall thoughts from the game...
"We were disciplined early. Jaydyn [Goodwin] got us a quick bunt, got us off and running, and then three straight walks. That really set up the tone for forcing them to throw the ball over the plate, and then we put some good swings on it. I thought ultimately that was the difference in the game, us controlling the strike zone from the batter's box and doing what we've been practicing."
#32 Gabi Novickas | Fr. | INF
On her first ever grand slam…
"It was awesome. That is actually the first grand slam I've ever hit in my life. The feeling was insane. Just to be able to do that for my team. It was one-to-one at the time, so having bases loaded and to get a hit right there was huge. Having a grand slam was just awesome, it was a great feeling."
Up Next:
No. 14 Georgia returns to action this Friday, April 10 at home against Missouri for the first game of the series. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. ET, and the game will be streamed live on the SEC Network+. This weekend is also the 'All For Alex' Weekend in which SEC member schools unite to raise awareness for ovarian cancer, promote early detection and honor the late Alex Wilcox who passed away from the condition in 2018.
Tickets for all Bulldogs home games can be found on GeorgiaDogs.com
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Johnson, Maddie (1-1)
L: BROWN, Ashlyn (1-2)
Batting:
RBI: THOMAS, Taliyah 2 ; KARDATZKE, Sophia 2 ; JENNINGS, Laney 1 ; STERN, Emily 1
Base Running:
RUNS: THOMAS, Taliyah 1 ; STOUT, Cariana 1 ; BERNAL, Mackenzei 1 ; JENNINGS, Laney 1 ; POLK, Abby 1 ; JOHNSON, Amie 1
SB: THOMAS, Taliyah 1
Batting:
2B: Mitchell, Mollie 1 ; Gordon, Sarah 1 ; White, Esther 1
HR: Novickas, Gabi 1 ; Digby, Emily 1
RBI: Mitchell, Mollie 1 ; Castorri, Emma 2 ; Smith, Katelin 1 ; Miller, Marisa 1 ; Novickas, Gabi 4 ; White, Esther 1 ; Ray, Natalie 1 ; Digby, Emily 2 ; Charlton, Tyah 1 ; Lindemuth, Bailey 2 ; Smith, Brooke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Goodwin, Jaydyn 1 ; Mitchell, Mollie 2 ; Gordon, Sarah 1 ; Ellison, Tyler 1 ; Smith, Katelin 1 ; Miller, Marisa 3 ; Novickas, Gabi 2 ; White, Esther 1 ; Ray, Natalie 1 ; Sullivan, Delani 1 ; Digby, Emily 1 ; Charlton, Tyah 1 ; Lindemuth, Bailey 2 ; Smith, Brooke 1
