Spring Break
Georgia softball rallies, tops Ohio State in Super Regional opener 6-4
BEN BUSSARD
Issue date: 5/22/09 Section: Sports
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Trailing by a score of 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, sophomore third baseman Alisa Goler stepped to the plate and ignited the dormant Bulldog offense with a laser shot that hit off the foul pole for her 22nd home run of the season.
Before Goler's solo shot, Georgia (43-10) struggled to plate any runs against Ohio State (47-10) starter Kim Reeder who stranded eight Bulldog runners through the first four innings.
"[Goler's home run] probably got [Georgia] excited because they were maybe a little frustrated offensively," Ohio State head coach Linda Kalafatis said, "The solo shot just stayed in fair but it got them feeling a little more confident."
Whatever frustration the Bulldogs had before Goler's home run seemingly evaporated as Georgia batted around and scored four more runs in the inning to take a 5-4 lead.
Sophomore left fielder Megan Wiggins followed Goler with a sharp single to left field and advanced of Ohio State left fielder Leah Ledford's fielding error.
Sophomore first baseman Brianna Hesson then stepped in and knocked an RBI double which plated Wiggins and cut the Buckeye lead to 4-2.
Following a single by freshman catcher Kristyn Sandberg, which put runners on the corners with no one out, Kalafatis made the call to the Buckeye bullpen and brought in junior pitcher Lindsay Bodeker.
Bodeker struck out the first batter she faced, but freshman second baseman Ashley Pauly stepped in and knocked a grounder to Ohio State's shortstop Alicia Herron who decided to try and cut down Hesson at home plate but an arid throw allowed the Bulldogs to draw within a run of the Buckeyes.
"[Herron] was going towards second, our catcher (Sam Marder) yelled home [but] she didn't really have good body position…she could've squared up better," Kalafatis said, "That hurt, but [Herron] did what her captain behind the plate told her and hopefully we'll learn from that."
Herron's throwing error proved to be a costly one as the Bulldog runners were able to move up to second and third as sophomore pinch-hitter Jennie Auger stepped up and hit an RBI groundout that scored Sandberg and knotted the score at 4-4.
The Bulldogs were then able to grab their first lead of the game when sophomore centerfielder Taylor Schlopy knocked in Pauly with an RBI single back up the middle.
To cap off the scoring for Georgia, Goler led off the bottom of the sixth inning with her second home run of the game and her 23rd of the season, giving the Bulldogs the 6-4 lead.
Senior pitcher Christie Hamilton started for Georgia but left after facing just four batters, walking three, and recording just one out in the top of the first inning, sophomore pitcher Sarah McCloud was brought on to help halt the early Buckeye threat.
With the bases loaded and just one out, McCloud pitched out of the inning and surrendered just one run - scored on an illegal pitch from McCloud.
McCloud kept the Buckeyes off the scoreboard in the second inning but pitched into trouble in the third when she intentionally walked Ohio State's catcher Sam Marder and then allowed a single to Buckeye second baseman Whitney Cooper.
OSU right fielder Courtney Pruner then came to the plate and belted a towering three-run homer that sailed over the trees in right field, giving the Buckeyes a 4-0 lead.
"I just made a simple mistake and I just kept competing," McCloud said. "It's awesome when you have teammates that come in and everyone's so fired up. No one gets down and they're just like, 'Hey, we have your back. We're gonna get this' and then it's boom, boom, boom and you're just like 'Wow!' It was pretty awesome."
The Bulldogs definitely had McCloud's back and thanks to their timely hitting and some defensive miscues by Ohio State, Georgia grabbed a lead that McCloud wouldn't relinquish.
Although McCloud allowed three walks and had to pitch out of jams in each of her first five innings, once she had the lead she managed to retire the final six Ohio State batters of the game in order.
"I think as a pitcher it's a pressure situation," McCloud said. "I like competing and I know I have an awesome defense behind me so I just do the best I can to move the ball and make them hit my pitch."
The Bulldogs were previously 2-7 in games in which they trailed at the end of four innings but were able to notch the all-important first game of the Super Regional series by persevering and feeding off of the energy from the home crowd.
"I think our crowd played a great part, they were fun to play out there for," Georgia head coach Lu Harris-Champer said. "Ohio State is a great team and we're looking forward to another great game tomorrow."
The Bulldogs and Buckeyes will meet again for game two of the Super Regional on today at 4:30 p.m. as Georgia attempts to advance to the Women's College World Series for the first time in school history.
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