OXFORD, Miss. – The fifth-ranked Georgia softball team defeated the Ole Miss Rebels Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader at the Ole Miss Softball Complex, 7-0, 10-7.
Georgia climbs to 26-4 on the season and 4-1 in SEC play. The doubleheader was highlighted by a one-hitter in the circle by Lilli Backes in game one and a six-RBI day at the play by Lyndi Rae Davis.
In Game 1 of the doubleheader, Backes (10-1) went the distance in her start, taking a no-hit bid into the seventh, losing it with two out in the final frame. Backes struck out six Rebel hitters in the contest.
Sara Mosley led the offense with three hits, while Davis drove in three runs and walked three times at the top of the order. A total of nine Bulldog hitters contributed a hit.
With bases full of Dogs in the top of the fifth, a two-out single to left off the bat of Jaiden Fields drove in two and broke up the scoreless draw, 2-0.
Davis doubled the Bulldogs’ lead with one swing in the sixth, plating two runners with a single to left. A two-out error by the Rebel shortstop extended the inning and allowed a Georgia run to score, bringing the inning tally to three and the lead to 5-0.
A couple more runs touched home in the seventh, first on a sac fly from Davis, then a Mosley single to right center, her third hit of the game, widening the lead to 7-0.
GEORGIA 10,
OLE MISS 7 (8 inn.)
Sydney Kuma and Davis each drove in three runs in the second game, and Ellie Armistead joined Kuma with three hits. Additionally, Jaydyn Goodwin and Emily Digby each had two hits. Eight Georgia hitters combined for 14 hits.
Madison Kerpics worked three innings in her start, allowing two runs on six hits with two strikeouts. Shelby Walters pitched three innings out of the pen, giving up three runs on six hits. Lilli Backes (11-1) earned her second win of the day, pitching the final two innings and giving up two runs on three hits.
Georgia loaded the bases for the fifth time on the day in the top of the season. Jayda Kearney took ball four, putting Georgia on the board. Kuma followed with a single back up the middle to drive in two more and make it a three-run second inning.
Back-to-back Rebel home runs in the second cut Georgia’s new lead to one in the bottom of the second, 3-2.
RBI singles by Goodwin and Armistead in the fourth and one from Kuma in the fifth widened Georgia's lead to 6-2.
Digby’s third home run of the season was a two-out solo shot in the sixth to make it a 7-2 game in favor of the Bulldogs.
In the sixth, a trio of RBI singles drove in three runs for Ole Miss, reducing Georgia’s lead to 7-5.
Down to its final out, Ole Miss used a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh to knot the game at 7-all.
Again, Georgia found itself with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth. Davis came through with a bases-clearing double to put Georgia back in front 10-7.
Backes shut down the Rebels in the bottom of the eighth to secure the doubleheader sweep.
The Bulldogs and Rebels will square off in the series finale on Sunday in Oxford. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. ET, streaming live on SEC Network+.
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