A Peach State rivalry was renewed.
On Wednesday night, the Georgia Bulldogs Softball team traveled to Georgia State’s Bob Heck Softball complex to face Panthers in their opening home game of the year–the first matchup for the two in Atlanta since 2005. To the dismay of the home crowd, the visiting Bulldogs would crush the Panthers in just six innings, winning the game 10-1.
The Bulldogs would jump out to an early 5-0 lead through just the first three innings behind a pair of back-to-back RBI doubles in the third by Ciara Bryan and Jordan Doggett.
Georgia’s starting pitcher, Mary Wilson Avant, would prove to be the driving force behind the Bulldogs hot start allowing no runs or earned runs through the first four innings on 78 pitches. Georgia State struggled with the elite pitching of Georgia all night, notching only five hits and one earned run through the games’ six innings.
Panthers Head Coach Roger Kincaid stressed the importance of securing timely hits at crucial moments late in the game as the team would strand seven runners on base through the course of the game.
“We got to make sure we’re getting quality at-bats in those situations [late in games], and that’s where we got to focus and get better,” Kincaid said.
“It’s important for our kids who are from Georgia to be able to play the state schools, plus it’s good competition, so it makes us better,” said Kincaid.
The Panthers will be returning home next Wednesday for a match up with cross-town rival Georgia Tech where they can hopefully secure a win against another quality in-state opponent.
