Oklahoma City -- Georgia had never been before, but it sure showed it fit.
The young, record-setting Bulldogs saw their stirring weekend run in the college world series come to an end in a 9-3 loss to Washington on Sunday night.
Georgia won three games in 29 hours to force the final game with Washington, and in so doing seemed to guarantee that its first appearance here would not be its last.
"I think the team played without distractions," coach Lu Harris-Champer said.
"They enjoyed the moment. They lived the moment. They lived the dream, as we said a lot this week I've been extremely blessed to be around them on a daily basis."
The Bulldogs (47-12) overcame a 3-0 deficit against national player of the year Danielle Lawrie for a 9-8, nine-inning victory Sunday afternoon, setting up a rematch in the highest-scoring game in world series history.
Even after Lawrie hit a grand slam home run four batters into the bottom of the first inning in the second game to give Washington a 5-0 lead, Georgia again came back.
Alisa Goler's run-scoring and Brianna Hesson's two-run double made the score 5-3, but Lawrie gave up only one hit in the final four innings.
Lawrie (40-8) struck out 12 as Washington earned its third trip to the final after playing in the title game in 1996 and 1999.
While Washington (49-12) was idle Saturday, Georgia beat Missouri in the afternoon and Michigan at night to move on.
Georgia has a school-record 85 home runs after hitting two off Lawrie in the first game while becoming the second team to hit two in a game off Lawrie this season. Goler and Kristin Schnake went deep.
"They go out there and fight, and they hit the ball hard. They've done that all year long," Harris-Champer said.
"Georgia is a great, great, great team," Lawrie said.
"They are definitely one of the best offensive teams I've faced. They can hit great pitching."
The Bulldogs finished one victory short of a spot in the NCAA championship series opposite arch-rival and No. 1 Florida, a series that would have matched SEC teams for the first time in college world series history.
"This team worked so hard and such a great connection," said pitcher Christie Hamilton, one of two seniors on the team.
"It's the funnest team I've ever played with. Everybody roots for everybody else. It's a great team."
The Bulldogs were attempting to become the third team in the 28-year history of the NCAA tournament to lose the first game and win the championship, after Texas A&M (1983) UCLA (2003).
Lawrie beat Georgia in the first game Thursday, 3-1.
Freshman right-hander Erin Arevalo extended the Bulldogs' season in the first game with four scoreless innings as the fourth pitcher of the game. She was making her first appearance since April 4, and had thrown only 12 innings all season.
"That was nails," said Schnake, the other senior on the team.
Arevalo started the second game and gave up Lawrie's grand slam before being replaced by Hamilton the second time through the order.
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