TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball had the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh but could not complete the late comeback as Georgia held on to win Friday’s series opener, 4-3.

Alabama (23-13, 2-5 SEC) trailed Georgia (24-8, 4-6 SEC) early after the visitors scored a run in the first and second innings. The Crimson Tide stranded two in the second and one in the third but looked to get something started in the bottom of the fourth as the first three batters all reached safely to load the bases with nobody out. The Bulldogs got out of the jam however as a popup, strikeout and flyout kept it a 2-0 game heading to the fifth.

Georgia added to its lead in the next half-inning with an RBI double and Alabama tried to answer again in the bottom half, with a walk and throwing error putting the first two batters into scoring position. With two out in the inning, Brooke Ellestad beat out an infield single to drive in a run and erase the shutout but a pickoff at third ultimately ended the inning with the Bulldogs ahead 3-1. The Tide got a run back with an RBI single from Audrey Vandagriff in the sixth and Georgia answered with one in the top of the seventh, making it a 4-2 game heading to the final half-inning of regulation.

The Tide got a gift in the form of a leadoff error, putting the first batter of the frame into scoring position. Later with the runner at third and two out, another error allowed the run to score and continued the inning before a groundout to second base would eventually secure the one-run victory for the Bulldogs.

“We did not do enough today. The scoreboard was almost even, except for the actual score. We had way too many people left on base. We have got to get hits when the game is on the line, especially with runners in scoring position, but we have failed too many times.”

Highlights

• Audrey Vandagriff stole her 41st base of the season, moving into a tie for ninth place on the Alabama single-season stolen base record list, matching Kayla Braud‘s total from her 2012 junior season
• Vandagriff also extended her reached-base streak to a team-leading 23 games
• Vandagriff and Brooke Ellestad had two hits in the game, improving their multi-hit game totals this season to 14 and 11, respectively

Scoring Summary: Georgia 4, Alabama 3

• T1 | Sarah Gordon put the Bulldogs on the board with an RBI double (0-1, 2 Out)
• T2 | Emily Digby scored from third on an RBI groundout (0-2, 1 Out)
  
  T5 | Lyndi Rae Davis hit an RBI double off the wall in center (0-3, 1 Out)
• B5 | Brooke Ellestad beat out an RBI single to drive in Audrey Vandagriff from third (1-3, 2 Out)
• B6 | Vandagriff hit an RBI single up the middle (2-3, 2 Out)
• T7 | Dallis Goodnight scored from third on a sac fly RBI (2-4, 1 Out)
• B7 | A two-out error allowed an unearned run to score (3-4, 2 Out)

Up Next: vs. No. 15/17 Georgia (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

• Saturday, March 29 – 2 p.m. CT
• Sunday, March 30 – 11 a.m. CT – ESPN2