No. 9 Georgia’s Offense Too Much, Hands Syracuse First Loss
By Cole Purvis | @Cole_Purvis
ATHENS, GA – This was the “measuring stick” game for Syracuse softball (11-1), and while SU fell to No. 9 Georgia (12-0), it did hold its own, proving that coach Shannon Doepking’s crew can hang with one of the nation’s top teams.
Not only were the Bulldogs the first-ranked opponent the Orange faced all season, but they were also the first power-conference team on Syracuse’s slate. After essentially dominating mid-major schools for the first three weeks of the year, Syracuse had a date with one of college softball’s big guns.
It was the Orange who struck first, courtesy of an Angie Ramos RBI single. With runners on second and third, the senior poked one into left field, sending shortstop Jadyn Burney home, and making it 1-0 in her team’s favor.
In the circle, freshman Sydney Jackson got the nod. If the first-year player was feeling the nerves early, she certainly didn’t show it, sending the UGA hitters down in 1-2-3 order in the first.
Georgia pitcher Lilli Backes would then settle in, only allowing four Syracuse hits after the first inning. The second frame featured both her and Jackson sending the opposing hitters down in order.
However, the UGA bats came alive in the third, producing four runs. Center fielder Dallis Goodnight started the scoring for the ‘Dogs with a single that drove in first baseman Esther White. Left fielder Jaydyn Goodwin then sent one into right field, advancing to second on a fielding error, and driving in another run. Georgia would tack on two more, thanks to a 2-RBI single from right fielder Sarah Gordon. From there on out, Georgia would never give up its lead.
SU got one back in the top of the fifth. Once again, it was Angie Ramos, proving that good things happen when you put the ball in play. Her RBI groundout made it 4-2. In the bottom half of the same inning, Georgia essentially canceled out that run, as sophomore Emily Digby produced an RBI on a single up the middle, letting Goodwin score for the second time in the contest.
Georgia would put the game out of reach in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs, spearheaded by a Lyndi Rae Davis RBI double. Goodnight and Goodwin also had run-producing hits in the inning.
With Syracuse unable to put any runs on the board in the seventh, the game went final, with Georgia remaining unbeaten, taking down SU 8-2.
The Orange, who were off to the best start in program history, finally saw a number appear in the loss column. In this game, seven of UGA’s eight runs came in two innings. Other than that. Syracuse hung tough with the ninth-ranked team in the land. For a team with modest expectations, holding its own against a top-10 opponent is encouraging.
Syracuse is back at it on the final day of the Georgia Classic tomorrow, with two games – the first against Appalachian State at 10:30 a.m., the second against Georgia at 1 p.m.
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