Softball Hands Georgia First Shutout of the Season to Clinch Weekend Series

Alabama softball handed Georgia its first shutout loss of the season Sunday night at Rhoads Stadium, winning 4-0 to clinch the weekend series.

For the second-straight game, Alabama (41-4, 10-4 SEC) held a potent Georgia (30-13, 5-9 SEC) offense at bay, as the Bulldogs were shut out for the first time this season. The Crimson Tide took advantage of a pair of fielding errors to scratch a run across in the first inning and the remaining three runs came off the bat of senior Merris Schroder, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI single and two-run home run, her second long ball of the series. The run support was more than enough for junior Krystal Goodman (8-0) in the circle, who allowed just five hits in the complete-game shutout, with no Bulldog runner making it past second base.

Alabama took advantage of back-to-back Georgia errors in the bottom of the first, plating a run to take the early 1-0 lead. With a runner at second and two out in the bottom of the third, junior Bailey Hemphill was intentionally walked to set up the force out but Schroder came through behind her, sending an RBI single up the middle to make it a 2-0 game.

Another fielding error in the bottom of the fifth put a Tide baserunner on and Schroder cleared the fence in the next at-bat, smashing her second home run of the series to increase the lead to 4-0. That was all the run support Alabama needed as Goodman and the defense retired the next six straight to end the game.

The series concludes Monday, April 15 at 6 p.m. CT live on SEC Network.

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