No. 11 Georgia Softball makes it 18 wins in a row

ATHENS, Ga. – Yielding just one hit, 11th-ranked Georgia softball silenced Western Carolina 6-0 Wednesday evening at Jack Turner Stadium.

Georgia starter Kylie Bass and relievers Lauren Mathis and Mary Wilson Avant nearly tossed the fourth no-hitter of the Bulldogs’ season, until the Catamounts notched a single with two outs in the top of seventh inning. The one-hit performance from the pitching staff marks the 11th time Georgia has given up one or less hits in 20 games.

The Bulldogs improved to 18-1 on their 18th-straight victory – Georgia’s longest win streak since 2006, which ties for the third-longest in program history. Alyssa DiCarlo (3-for-4, 3 RBI, 2 runs) paced the offensive attack, finishing a single-shy of hitting for the cycle. Also notching a multi-hit game was Jordan Doggett who went 2-for-2, while also adding a walk, RBI, and a run.

“Each and every day, we just want to come out and do what we do – focus on our game and continue to grow,” said head coach Lu Harris-Champer. “This team is a year older. They have bought into the team mindset and they come out and work hard every day. They want to work, they want to grow. This team has a great growth mindset. They want to enjoy the moment and enjoy the chemistry of their team.”

Cortni Emanuel led off the game by reaching on an infield single and immediately stole second base. DiCarlo drove Emanuel in with her second career triple laced off the wall in right. DiCarlo scored on a groundout to first by Alysen Febrey, widening the early lead to 2-0 in the opening stanza.

With two on and two out in the bottom of the second, DiCarlo doubled to left field, driving in Doggett and adding to the lead, 3-0.

It looked to be a quiet inning in the third but a hit-by-pitch and a walk allowed Georgia a pair of free baserunners. Doggett doubled to centerfield, plating Mahlena O’Neal and bringing the lead to four.

DiCarlo scratched off another leg of the cycle in the bottom of the fourth, knocking a solo shot to right field. It was her sixth home run of her junior campaign.

Georgia’s final run came across in the fifth by an Emanuel sacrifice fly that scored pinch runner Tiffani Railey.

Earning the win in the circle was Bass (8-0), going four scoreless and striking out four batters. Mathis followed out of the pen for two innings, while Avant closed it out – each with a pair of strikeouts.

Georgia opens Southeastern Conference play this weekend at home against Arkansas. The series opens Saturday at 1 p.m. on the SEC Network.

Kylie Bass

“Our defense and pitching were awesome. Our staff worked great together. We just need to continue to do the little things right and focus on that in practice, just compete.”

Alyssa DiCarlo

“We have a lot of confidence and team camaraderie. The morale is really good. We are working well together. We have another year under our belts together and it is starting to show.”