May 23—The interesting thing about college softball is that no two games are the same. After the Georgia Bulldog softball team scored 11 runs in a rout of Western Kentucky in the Bulldogs first game of the Athens Regional, the script was flipped Saturday and the spotlight was squarely on senior pitcher Mary Wilson Avant.
In a game that became a classic pitchers duel, Avant kept the Blue Devil bats off balance all day long, allowing only one hit through the first 3 2/3 innings, while Duke pitcher Peyton Saint-George racked up 10 strikeouts for the day.
The Bulldogs offense was able to scrape across a run on the strength of freshman shortstop Ellie Armistead’s solo home run in the top of the third off Saint-George’s rise ball. The Armistead shot was one of five Bulldog hits on the day.
The Blue Devils gave Georgia a scare in the seventh inning, with a one out double, but were unable to drive in the game tying run. Avant continued her dominance of the Blue Devils offense, allowing just two hits in a complete game shutout, for the 1-0 victory over the Duke Devils.
Georgia will need to get more production from their bats to get on the board often and early in the regional final. When asked by reporters about Avant’s stellar performance, Georgia Head coach Lu-Harris Champer had this to say, “She comes out and works hard every single day. She works hard day in and day out, and if you do that, things will work out for you.”
The Bulldogs will hope to get a repeat performance from their workhorse Avant, as the Georgia Bulldogs advance to their 16th straight regional final Sunday at noon in a rematch with Duke.