Fourth-Inning Rally Carries Alabama Softball to Win over Georgia in Series Finale
Alabama softball hadn’t been swept in a series since 2013, and Kayla Beaver made sure it wasn’t going to happen on Sunday. But it came down to the very last pitch.
After dropping the first two games of the weekend at No. 5 Georgia, No. 14 Alabama rallied for a 5-4 win at Jack Turner Stadium in Athens.
The Crimson Tide held a two-run lead heading into the final inning. The Bulldogs opened the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back singles. A sac fly and passed ball allowed Georgia to pull within one run. Two walks later, the Bulldogs had the bases loaded with two outs for Georgia's Jaiden Fields.
Beaver jumped ahead of Fields in the count, 0-2. She then threw three straight balls to make it a 3-2 count with the game-tying run 60 feet away. Beaver went right after Fields, and got the Georgia senior to strike out swinging.
Georgia grabbed the early lead on an RBI double from Lyndi Rae Davis in the bottom of the third inning to go up 1-0. Alabama responded in a big way the next half inning.
Jenna Johnson led off the top of the fourth with a solo home run. A single from Kali Heivilin and two free bases loaded the bases with no outs. Alabama scored one run on a sacrifice fly from Kenleigh Cahalan and another on an RBI-double from Bailey Dowling.
Alabama added two more runs on a base hit from Emma Broadfoot to score five total runs in the fourth inning, going up 5-1. It is the most runs the Tide has scored in an SEC game this season, and the most runs overall in a game since scoring 15 at UAB on Feb. 25.
Georgia slowly climbed its way back into the game with runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings after Alabama built up the 5-1 lead. Cahalan led off the sixth inning with a double, but the Crimson Tide could not add on any insurance runs.
Alabama now has two of its three toughest SEC series out of the way and improves to 22-5 (2-4 SEC) with the win on Sunday.
How it happened...
(latest updates at the top)
FINAL: No. 14 Alabama 5, No. 5 Georgia 4
Bottom 7- Georgia
- Kayla Beaver has ice in her veins. She gets Fields to go down swinging. Ballgame. Alabama wins.
- Goodwin walks on five pitches. Bases loaded, two outs.
- After the passed ball, Alabama intentionally walks Kuma. Runners on first and second with two outs for Goodwin.
- Giles gives up a pass ball. Goodnight scores, and the pinch runner moves to second. Georgia pulls within one run. Alabama 5, Georgia 4
- Kearney flies out to right field on the first pitch. Goodnight tags to third base, but now there are two outs.
- Beaver gets Mosley to chase a curveball way off the plate. One out.
- Back-to-back singles for the Bulldogs. No outs.
- Leadoff single for Goodnight, her second hit of the day.
MID 7- Alabama 5, Georgia 3
Top 7- Alabama
- Backes retires Alabama in order.
- White goes down swinging. One out.
- Lilli Backes comes in to pitch the seventh for Georgia.
- White, Johnson and Heivilin due up for Alabama, looking to add a little insurance.
END 6- Alabama 5, Georgia 3
Bottom 6- Georgia
- A third straight ground ball retires the side. Beaver bounces back after the leadoff walk and double.
- Ground ball to Cahalan. She looks back the runner at third and makes the throw to first for the second out.
- Fields ground out to the right side, and Goodwin moves to third with one out.
- RBI double from Goodwin scores Kuma from first. Leadoff walk comes back to bite Beaver. Bulldogs cut the deficit to two runs. Alabama 5, Georgia 3
- Kuma draws a leadoff walk.
MID 6- Alabama 5, Georgia 2
Top 6- Alabama
- Broadfoot flies out to center. Three outs.
- Preuitt grounds out to the right side, which moves Cahalan to third with two outs.
- Goodwin makes a running catch against the wall in left field for Georgia to rob Dowling of a hit.
- Leadoff double in the right/center gap from Cahalan. Alabama is putting together much better at-bats as this game has gone on.
END 5- Alabama 5, Georgia 2
Bottom 5- Georgia
- Kearney pops up to end the inning.
- Error by Cahalan at shortstop allows Georgia to add on a run with two outs. It was going to be a tough play, but Cahalan charged the ground ball and then made an errant throw to first. Alabama 5, Georgia 2
- Huge play by the defensive. Alabama turns the 6-4-3 double play. Two outs now, runner on third.
- Goodnight is hit by a pitch. Two runners on with nobody out for the top of the lineup.
- Leadoff single for Ellison. Nice job by Preuitt in right field to limit Ellison to a single.
MID 5- Alabama 5, Georgia 1
Top 5- Alabama
- Nothing doing for Alabama after the single.
- One-out single for Heivilin.
- Top of the lineup due up for Alabama in the fifth after batting around last inning.
END 4- Alabama 5, Georgia 1
Bottom 4- Georgia
- Beaver retires the side with two balls on the infield after the single.
- Chambley reaches with a one-out bunt single.
- Beaver makes another good defensive play in the circle for the first out.
- Larissa Preuitt enters in right field for Clark.
MID 4- Alabama 5, Georgia 1
Top 4- Alabama
- Nice pick by Mosley at third to get the final out. But Alabama puts up a crooked number on the board in the fourth with a big response.
- KJ Haney pinch hits for White. Runner on second with two outs.
- Broadfoot lines one out to left field. Chambley can't make the catch, and Grill comes around to score from second on the error. Alabama 5, Georgia 1
- This is now the most runs Alabama has scored in an SEC game this year.
- Clark strikes out swinging. Two outs, still two runners in scoring position
- Runners on second and third with one out for Clark. Kat Grill comes in to pinch run for Dowling at second.
- RBI double for Dowling to extend the lead. Alabama 3, Georgia 1
- Sac fly RBI for Cahalan. Tide takes the lead. Alabama 2, Georgia 1
- Giles is hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Kinley Pate comes in to pinch run for Duchscherer at second base.
- Georgia will make a pitching change. Madison Kerpics enters for Walters.
- Duchscherer draws a walk. Two on with nobody out.
- Heivilin follows it up with a single up the middle. Three straight hits for Alabama after having no baserunners through the first eight at-bats.
- Leadoff home run for Jenna Johnson, her second of the year. Ties the game. Alabama 1, Georgia 1
- Top of the lineup due up for the Crimson Tide, looking for its first run of the game.
- During an in-game interview, Murphy says Alabama needs to stay away from the changeup and hopes they put more balls in play.
END 3: Georgia 1, Alabama 0
Bottom 3- Georgia
- Beaver gets her third strikeout of the inning to retire the side, but the Bulldogs jump on the board first on Davis' RBI double.
- Mosley chases a high pitch for Beaver's second strikeout of the inning. Two outs.
- RBI double for Davis, and Georgia takes the early lead. Georgia 1, Alabama 0
- Bloop one-out single for Goodnight. She steals second on the next pitch.
- Beaver picks up her first strikeout as she gets Digby looking to open the bottom of the third.
MID 3: Georgia 0, Alabama 0
Top 3- Alabama
- After a lengthy review, White is called out for leaving early. Nothing doing for Alabama in the third.
- Georgia is challenging whether or not White left first base early on the hit-and-run.
- White reaches with two outs on an infield single as Alabama's first baserunner.
- 7-8-9 due up for Alabama
END 2: Georgia 0, Alabama 0
Bottom 2- Georgia
- A soft liner ends the inning.
- Alabama gets the lead runner on a ground ball. Two outs.
- Chambley is hit by a pitch with one out for the first baserunner of the game.
MID 2: Georgia 0, Alabama 0
Top 2- Alabama
- Walters needs just six pitches to retire the Crimson Tide in the second.
- Giles, Cahalan and Dowling due up for Alabama.
END 1: Georgia 0, Alabama 0
Bottom 1- Georgia
- Beaver retires the side in order.
- Nice play by Dowling at third to retire the leadoff batter. One out.
MID 1: Georgia 0, Alabama 0
Top 1- Alabama
- Three up, three down for Alabama in the top of the first.
- The first pitch to Jenna Johnson is a ball, and this game is underway.
- According to the broadcast, Alabama is hitting .183 in SEC play.
Pregame
- Alabama's Game 1 starter Kayla Beaver (8-2, 0.80 ERA) is back in the circle for the Crimson Tide. Georgia is starting Shelby Walters (5-1, 3.07 ERA)
Starting lineups:
Want to make a comment, or have a question? Hit the "conversations" icon at the top of the story to join the discussion.
