Athens, Ga. – Miami Ohio and nationally-ranked Georgia used big first innings to sweep a pair of games from Furman on the final day of the Bulldog Softball Classic Sunday at Jack Turner Stadium in Athens, Ga.
Miami Ohio 8, Furman 0 (5 inn.)
Miami (16-6) erupted for six runs in the first inning and cruised to an 8-0 victory over the Paladins in the first game of the day at the Bulldog Classic.
A pair of singles and a base on balls loaded the bases for the RedHawks in the bottom of the first before Holly Blaska singled to drive in a run and Kate Bobayashi worked a bases loaded walk. Chloe Parks delivered a two-run single to chase Paladin starter
Taylor Miller, but Miami continued the rally against
Angelina Ricciardi with an RBI ground out and a run scoring double.
Jenna Golembiewski belted a two-run homer in the fifth inning to trigger the mercy rule and hand the RedHawks an 8-0 win. The left fielder paced the RedHawk offense going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Ashley Hitchcock (5-3) held the Paladins to a pair of hits in five shutout innings to earn the victory. She issued two walks and fanned four batters in the complete game performance.
Miller (1-4) allowed all six batters she faced to reach base as she took the loss. Ricciardi allowed two runs on six hits over 4.2 innings in the circle.
No. 7 Georgia 7, Furman 0
The seventh-ranked Georgia Bulldogs slammed a pair of first-inning home runs and cruised to a 7-0 victory over Furman in the final game of the Bulldogs Classic Sunday afternoon.
Lyndi Rae Davis led off the bottom of the first with a home run and Jayda Kearney followed Sara Mosley's walk with a two-run blast to put the Bulldogs (20-3) in front 3-0 after just three batters. Davis and Kearney each drove in a run with an RBI single as part of Georgia's three-run second inning to help the Bulldogs build a 6-0 advantage.
Madison Kerpics allowed only two hits over four shutout innings to improve to 7-1 in the circle and Rachel Gibson tossed three hitless innings of relief to pick up her first save. Gibson fanned six Paladin batters in relief of Kerpics.
Starter
Sierra Tufts (5-4) absorbed the loss for Furman. The righthander gave up five runs on three hits and two walks in just one inning of work.
Emme Buzhardt pitched effectively out of the Paladin bullpen allowing only one earned run on four hits over five innings.
Davis and Kearney combined to go 4-for-7 with two homers and five RBIs for the Bulldogs.
The Paladins (10-13) return home to host Gardner-Webb for in a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday at Pepsi Stadium.
