Softball team opens NCAA Regional with 3-1 win over Radford
May 14, 2009 by The Red and Black Archives
Filed under Sports
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Eighth-ranked Georgia opened play in the 28th-Annual NCAA Division I Softball Championships with a 3-1 victory over Radford in the Chapel Hill Regional at the University of North Carolina’s Anderson Stadium.
Top-seeded Georgia (40-10) advances in the winner’s bracket of the Chapel Hill Regional, and the Bulldogs return to action Friday on 1 p.m. ET against the winner game two between second-seeded North Carolina and third-seeded Campbell. Radford (40-14) drops to the loser’s bracket and will face the loser of game two at 3:30 p.m. in the double-elimination regional format.
Georgia’s victory over Radford was the first game of 2009 NCAA Championships, and the Bulldogs used a strong defensive effort behind a complete-game behind sophomore pitcher Sarah McCloud to hold the Highlanders just one run. McCloud (16-2) allowed Radford to scatter four hits while walking four and striking out three for her 10th complete game of the season while the Bulldog defense turned a pair of double plays and played errorless.
From the plate, the Bulldogs scored three runs on 10 hits off of the Highlanders’ Chelsey Kelley, who took the loss to fall to 24-8 on the year.
Sophomore Alisa Goler (2-for-3) provided the first run of the game on an RBI single in the first that scored sophomore Taylor Schlopy. Schlopy led the game off with a double down the right field line and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from senior Kristin Schnake.
The Bulldogs would pick their second and third runs on a pair of solo home runs. In the third, Schnake hit her third long ball of the season out to left, and in the fifth, sophomore Brianna Hesson recorded her ninth homer, which was also a shot to left. The two home runs moved the Bulldogs’ team total on the year to 71 making them just the third team in Southeastern Conference history to hit 70 or more home runs in a season (Alabama – ‘98, ‘07 & ‘08; Florida – ‘09).
Radford scratched across its run in the fourth. After Sarah Himan and Nichole Beall singled, a sacrifice bunt from Michelle Beall moved the runners up to second and third. Shannon Keefe followed with a sacrifice fly to right.
- Georgia Sports Communications
