Oklahoma City — Georgia freshman catcher Kristyn Sandberg's big hits took out both Missouri and the home plate umpire Saturday.
The first one ensured that the Bulldogs' first appearance in the NCAA Womens's College World Series would continue.
Sandberg's two-out, two-run home run in the fourth inning gave Christie Hamilton's a 3-0 cushion in a 5-2 victory in an elimination game at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.
Georgia (45-11) is to face Michigan in a second elimination game Saturday night.
The Bulldogs, who lost to Washington in the first game, are attempting to become the third team in the 28-year history of the softball World Series to win the title after losing the opener, following Texas A&M (1983) and UCLA (2003).
"We don't think about what could happen afterwards. When we're between the lines, it's a seven-inning game," shortstop Kristin Schnake said.
Schnake's two-run double in the fifth inning made the score 5-0.
Sandberg's homer was her ninth home run, one short of the Bulldogs' freshman record, set by Ashley Godfrey in 2003.
"I was just looking for a good pitch to hit and took my hack at it," said Sandberg, who has five homers in the past 18 games.
A half-inning after her homer, Sandberg bowled over home-plate umpire Sally Walker while chasing a short foul pop that dropped untouched 15 feet behind the plate.
Both Sandberg and Walker went down, and Sandberg stayed down for a moment, shaking her left hand before staying in the game.
"I just tried to get to the ball ... the direct path to it," Sandberg said.
"Her favorite sport is hockey," coach Lu Harris-Champer said.
When the at-bat continued, Hamilton hit Marla Schweisberger before walking Rhea Taylor with two outs.
Hamilton (25-9) got out of the inning on a short pop fly behind second base. She gave up five hits, all singles and struck out four.
Georgia survived an apparent missed call by the umpires in the top of the sixth inning, when an inning-ending double-play line drive hit by Missouri's Andee Allen was disallowed.
With runners on first and second, Allen hit a line drive that first baseman Brianna Hesson appeared to catch just off the ground. Hesson ran to first to double off the runner, seemingly ending the inning.
After conferring, the umpires ruled that Allen's ball hit the ground and that Hesson retired only the batter at first. The first runner made it to third, and the runner from first, despite returning to the dugout, was awarded second base.
Schweisberger followed with a two-run single to make the score 5-2.
"When it was all said and done, it didn't change the outcome of the game," Harris-Champer said.
"It didn't bother my concentration. I knew my defense would have my back," Hamilton said.
Missouri coach Ehren Earleywine, who said the infield was too hard after a 7-3 to Arizona State on Thursday, argued that Hamilton was throwing illegal pitches by stepping outside the pitching lane. Hamilton was called for one illegal pitch in the second inning.
"You wonder how many times it was illegal," Earleywine said.
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