Spring Break
No series sweep for softball, drop Game 3 to Vols
ZACH DILLARD
Issue date: 4/26/09 Section: Sports
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The Lady Volunteers (37-13-1, 12-10-1 SEC) were able to put up three runs in the top of the seventh inning in Game 3 to beat the Bulldogs (36-9, 16-7 SEC) 6-3 in front of a record-breaking crowd of 1,877 fans.
The Sunday showdown proved to be a back-and-forth battle. But Georgia could not answer in the bottom of the seventh after Tennessee delivered a two-run triple followed by an RBI single in the top half of the inning to give the Lady Volunteers the lead for good 6-3.
Freshman Jessica Spigner (1-0) earned the first win of her career by holding Georgia to zero runs over the final five innings of the ball game.
Tennessee took the lead after the top of the first and second innings, only to be answered each time by Georgia scoring runs to tie the game. Georgia never led in the contest.
The Bulldog runs were supplied by an Alisa Goler home run, an RBI single by sophomore Taylor Schlopy and a solo home run by freshman Kristyn Sandberg.
"Well, I was glad that we got the series but I think we could have taken a better approach in this last game so hopefully that will be a lesson learned for us," head coach Lu Harris-Champer said. "I felt our pitching was outstanding this weekend, but our hitting really needed to step it up."
By dropping the final game of the series, Tennessee was able to spoil a historic series that senior shortstop Kristin Schnake described as "picturesque" after Games 1 and 2 - both of which were Georgia victories by the scores of 1-0 and 6-2, respectively.
Goler, a national player of the year candidate, provided the fireworks and history in the 6-2 victory for Georgia in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday.
Goler went 3-for-3 with two solo home runs in the game - breaking the school records for home runs, RBIs and extra-base hits in a season.
Schnake and pitcher Christie Hamilton (18-7) were commemorated in Georgia's Senior Day ceremony before Game 1, and then turned in a memorable game on the field.
Hamilton was able to hold the Volunteers to a one-hit shutout while Schnake provided the solitary run with her first home run of the season in Georgia's 1-0 win in Game 1. The two Georgia victories over Tennessee were the first since 2006.
Georgia now holds the all-time series lead over Tennessee 25-22.
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