ATHENS -- Georgia's softball team won its NCAA Athens Regional and advanced to the Super Regional after pounding out 13 hits and taking advantage of five Florida State errors in a 10-2 victory on Sunday in six innings.
The Bulldogs (50-12) are unbeaten in regional play in the last four years, including 6-0 at home. They are 37-4 at Jack Turner Stadium this season and will host Baylor in the best-of-three SuperRegional, which could start as soon as Thursday. Should Georgia advance from there, it will make its third consecutive appearance in the Women's College World Series.
"It's always nice to play at home," said center fielder Taylor Schlopy, who went 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI. "We're blessed with a phenomenal crowd who always supports us."
The Bulldogs, playing as the visitor, put pressure on the Seminoles (32-28) early, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Megan Wiggins led off with a double, and Schlopy drove her home with a single. She stole second and throwing errors on catcher Celeste Gomez and center fielder Courtney Senas allowed her to score. With two outs, the Bulldogs loaded the bases with a single, walk and hit batter, but couldn't add any more runs. They just needed to wait.
The Bulldogs blew open the game in the second with more good hitting and more poor defense by FSU. With one out, Wiggins hit a double and Schlopy was hit by a pitch. Alisa Goler walked to load the bases. Brianna Hesson followed with a single to score Wiggins and an error on third baseman Tiffani Brown allowed Schlopy to score and give Georgia a 4-0 lead. Ashley Razey hit a shot to shortstop Ashley Stager, who elected to come home. Gomez dropped the throw, allowing both runners to score and extending the Bulldogs' lead to 6-0.
Seminoles coach Lonni Alameda said the pressure of the moment -- FSU needed to beat the Bulldogs twice to advance -- caused nerves to fray.
"Sometimes it's like that when you get into a hyped game," she said.
"I think our offense was really aggressive," Georgia coach Lu Harris-Champer said. "We came out swinging the bats and were super aggressive on the bases."
The Seminoles could muster just two runs, one earned, against freshman pitcher Morgan Montemayor, who allowed three hits with four strikeouts. The Seminoles said Montemayor (26-3) kept them off balance with her screwball and changeup. Montemayor won all three of Georgia's regional games, going 16 innings and allowing just one earned run in her first regionals. She and Harris-Champer credited the defense, particularly second baseman Ashley Pauly and shortstop Laura Trout, with keeping her focused.
"In the beginning it was a little nerve-wracking but then my teammates out there just calmed me down," she said. "It's an awesome feeling having so many upperclassmen behind you. It gives me no room to be nervous."
Georgia posted their seventh run in the fifth on Brittney Hubbard's seventh home run this season, and extended the lead to 10-2 in the sixth on a two-RBI double by Trout and run-scoring single by Pauly.
"We had all three aspects of the game working in hitting, fielding and pitching," Schlopy said.
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