TEMPE, Ariz. — Georgia left the desert as one of the hottest softball teams in the nation Saturday night, routing previously unbeaten Oregon State 7-0.
“It all starts in the circle, and Brittany Gray was outstanding,” Bulldogs coach Lu Harris-Champer said, referencing Gray’s four-hit, 10-strikeout shutout at Arizona State’s Farrington Stadium. “Our defense was outstanding, too.”
Gray improved to 3-0 this season, allowing just one unearned run and fanning 17 batters in the 16 innings she pitched in Arizona.
Georgia went 4-1 in the Kajikawa Classic, tying a school record with 23 runs in the season-opening game against San Diego State (23-2) on Thursday before suffering an 8-3 loss to Oregon that night.
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The Bulldogs showed championship level resiliency on Friday, however, scoring wins over No. 15-ranked Utah (5-1) and No. 19 BYU (13-1) leading into Saturday night’s game.
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“Kendall Burton was amazing this week and went 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs today,” Harris-Champer said. “Alyssa DiCarlo, when she hits the ball I don’t think they are ever coming down.”
It was a successful homecoming of sorts for DiCarlo, who played her high school ball at nearby Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Ariz.
DiCarlo was 2-for-4 with two doubles against Oregon State, and she hit two of the team’s 12 home runs in the tournament.
Georgia returns to action at 3 p.m. on Friday against Winthrop in the Red & Black Showcase tourney in Athens.
