No. 14 Georgia softball rallied with a six-run fifth inning to defeat No. 11 Mississippi State 6-3 Friday at Jack Turner Stadium. Georgia improved to 22-7 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
Mississippi State struck first with two runs in the second inning on RBI singles to center and left field.
Entering the fifth, the Bulldogs were trailing 3-0. Georgia started its comeback with Emily Digby’s sacrifice fly to center field, putting Georgia on the board. A fielding error by Mississippi State’s third baseman allowed another run to score, closing the gap 3-2.
Jaydyn Goodwin launched a two-RBI triple to give Georgia its first lead of the game. Sarah Gordon followed with a two-run home run to left field, finishing the six-run inning and extending Georgia’s lead 6-3.
Randi Roelling started on the mound for the Bulldogs and allowed two earned runs on five hits over two innings. Destin Howard followed with one inning of relief, allowing one earned run. Freshman Ada Little earned the win in the circle after pitching two scoreless innings with a strikeout. Addisen Fisher recorded her first save of the season, closing the final two innings without allowing an earned run.
“Just really proud of the resilience that the team showed,” head coach Tony Baldwin said. “We talked about this being a seven-inning game, and their pitcher is really, really good. We could prepare for it, and we can watch video, but it’s not the same as being in the box against her. I thought we just took in a lot of data early and just stayed in the fight.”
Goodwin also emphasized Georgia’s composure during the comeback.
“I think we stayed in it the whole time,” Goodwin said. “Started a little slow, but just keeping our heads up and keep pushing.
With the win, Georgia now leads the all-time series against Mississippi State 36-32.
The two teams will meet again Saturday at 2 p.m. at Jack Turner Stadium for game two of the series.