Georgia softball dispatches Florida State in opening game at Women's College World Series
Cortni Emanuel turned up the speed when Georgia needed it most.
The Georgia softball outfielder stole second and third base in the top of the seventh inning before scoring the winning run on the ensuing at-bat, allowing the No. 16 Lady Dogs to defeat No. 8 Florida State 5-4 in their opening game at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Emanuel initially reached first base on a fielding error during her last at-bat of the game. She stole second on a change-up thrown by Florida State pitcher Meghan King, with catcher Sydney Broderick throwing the ball wild and into the outfield. That allowed Emanuel to take third base.
Alyssa DiCarlo hit a grounder on the ensuing at-bat, allowing Emanuel to advance home. Emanuel ran aggressively to home plate after looking off the throw, sliding underneath the throw to score the winning run.
The Lady Dogs will face No. 4 Auburn, which defeated No. 12 UCLA 10-3 in its first game, on Friday at 7 p.m.
Georgia (46-18) trailed 2-0 after the first inning but rallied back with four runs to take a 4-2 lead after three. Florida State (53-9) tied the game up in the sixth inning with a two-run home run from Alex Powers.
But Emanuel was able to do her damage and help propel Georgia to its first Women's College World Series win since 2010.
The Seminoles struggled defensively as they committed seven errors during the game.
Georgia's Chelsea Wilkinson (28-7) pitched all seven innings and gave up four earned runs on six hits. She tossed one strikeout, gave up one walk and got Florida State to fly-out 13 times and ground-out seven times. King (25-4) earned the loss, even though four of Georgia's five runs were not earned.
The Lady Dogs have now won six out of its past seven games since the NCAA Regionals began on May 20.
This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Georgia softball dispatches Florida State in opening game at Women's College World Series."