Game 1

Kristin Schnake’s uniform No. 22 was painted into the center field grass in honor of her Senior Day – the ball she hit in the third inning sailed right over that number before sailing over the outfield fence.

After the pre-game senior presentations, which also recognized pitcher Christie Hamilton, Schnake hit her first home run of the season to provide the lone run in Game 1 against No. 15 Tennessee (36-12-1, 11-9-1 SEC) en route to a 1-0 Georgia victory.

The solo shot to center field was only Schnake’s second home run of her career, with the only other homer coming in last season’s SEC Tournament – against Tennessee.

With the home run, No.8 Georgia (35-8, 15-6 SEC) broke the single-season team record as they now have 61 on the season. Schnake is also the 12th player to hit a home run for Georgia this season, extending the record over the previously high mark of ten.

Hamilton (18-6), whose jersey No. 63 was also etched in center field, was determined not to let Schnake steal all of the thunder on Senior Day. Hamilton, the only other senior on the Georgia squad, pitched a gem against the Volunteers – turning in a seven inning shut out, while fanning six batters and allowing just one hit.

She started off the game with a strikeout on the very first hitter she faced, and ended it with a kiss to the sky as third baseman Alisa Goler gloved the final out.

Tennessee pitchers Cat Hosfield (27-10), Danielle Pieroni and Ashton Ward combined to limit the powerful Georgia lineup to just 2-for-19 at the plate. During the impressive outing, the three held Goler to a 0-for-3 game as she is still sitting on the verge of Georgia softball history in home runs and RBIs.

The victory was the first time Georgia has beaten Tennessee in seven outings.

Game 2
The Georgia softball staff had to chase down a few younger fans to retrieve a softball behind the left field wall at the Georgia Softball Complex. But this was not just any softball – this was history.

In appropriate fashion, sophomore sensation Alisa Goler hit a solo home run in the first inning. Now she stands alone in many statistical categories in Georgia softball history.

Goler, a third baseman from Frankfort, Ill., broke the single-season home run, RBI, and extra-base hit records on the first pitch she saw in No. 8 Georgia’s (36-8, 16-6 SEC) 6-2 victory over No. 15 Tennessee (36-13-1, 11-10-1 SEC).

Goler went on to go 3-for-3 in the game with two home runs and three RBIs.

The Goler’s ground-breaking numbers (18 home runs, 67 RBIs) this season not only break school records, but she is now within serious reach of the conference records as well after her fourth multi-home run game this season. She is tied for the fourth-most home runs and the sixth-most RBIs in a single-season by an SEC player (the records are 25 homers and 79 RBIs).

“Yeah, it was great that I got to do it, especially while [my dad and brother] were here today,” said Goler, a national player of the year candidate. “It would have made it even better if my mom were here to have seen it.”

Sophomore Taylor Schlopy set the tone for the game by lining a solo home run in the first Georgia at-bat – her 11th of the season.

Georgia would add their other three runs in the sixth inning. Freshman Tori Moody continued her offensive tear with a two-RBI single to push the score to 5-0. The final Bulldog run came on a Tennessee wild pitch.

Pitcher Sarah McCloud (15-2) followed up Christie Hamilton’s gem in Game 1 with a solid performance of her own. McCloud earned the win by holding the Volunteers to just two runs on six hits before being replaced by Hamilton in the sixth inning to close out the game.

“This is really was a picturesque [Senior Day] for us,” said senior Kristin Schnake. “To be able to beat Tennessee twice after I was able to hit in the only run in the first game, and then Christie [Hamilton] pitched so well for us today – the whole day was just picturesque.”

Georgia hit much better in Game 2 than in the first contest, going 9-for-24 and drawing three walks.

The final game of the series will take place Sunday, April 25 at 2 p.m.