The top-seeded and host Georgia Gwinnett College softball team tallied 12 hits and scored four unanswered runs in defeating No. 4 seed Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (Indiana) 4-1 on Monday afternoon at the Grizzly Softball Complex in the Opening Round's Lawrenceville Bracket of the NAIA national tournament.

The Grizzlies (41-10; ranked No. 8 nationally) advance to face No. 3 seed Indiana Tech in the winner's bracket contest on Tuesday, May 16, starting at noon. Indiana Tech defeated No. 2 seed College of Coastal Georgia 2-1 in eight innings in Monday's first game.

After allowing a run to trail 1-0 in the top of the first inning, GGC quickly answered as senior Sydney Pelaez scored from second base on an infield single by senior Lea McFadden. A defensive error on the play allowed Pelaez to come around to score the tying run.

Junior Kloey Goins gave the hosts a 2-1 advantage in the third inning with an infield single to shortstop that brought home sophomore Lindzie Owen. A few innings later, freshman Madison Rodgers hit an infield single in nearly the same infield spot to score sophomore Emerson Hall for a key insurance run.

Sophomore Jane Hoover gave the Grizzlies the decisive 4-1 lead in the sixth inning on another run-scoring single, this time through the right side of the infield.

GGC sophomore starting pitcher Kailyn Berry scattered four hits across 4.1 innings to improve to 8-4 on the season. Sophomore Annalise Wood came in to record six strikeouts across 2.2 scoreless innings in relief for her third save of the season.

The Grizzlies outhit SMWC by a 12-4 margin, with four players having multiple-hit performances. McFadden went 2-for-2 at the plate while freshman Enna Lackey and Rodgers each tallied two hits. Owen added two hits and scored one run in the victory.
  "It's great to see the team contributing up and down the lineup. It wasn't just one player that carried us. It was great to tie the game in the first inning and Kailyn (Berry) then settled in and went through the lineup. It's important in postseason to put pressure on your opponent in each offensive inning. We did just that in today's game," said Head Coach Kat Ihlenburg.
  The Grizzlies utilized their speed to register three runs on batted balls that didn't leave the infield. The team also successfully stole five bases in the victory. Senior Sydney Pelaez scored from second base following an infield single by senior Lea McFadden, assisted by a defensive error on the play, to tie the contest at 1-1 after the first inning. Then, junior Kloey Goins hit an infield single to shortstop that gave GGC a 2-1 lead. Freshman Madison Rodgers followed with an infield RBI single to shortstop for a key insurance run in the fifth inning.
  Bottom of First
Sydney Pelaez scored from second base following an infield single by Lea McFadden and a defensive error, tying the contest at 1-1
 
Bottom of Third
Kloey Goins hit an infield RBI single that brought home Lindzie Owen
 
Bottom of Fifth
Madison Rodgers added an infield RBI single that gave the Grizzlies a 3-1 lead
 
Bottom of Sixth
Jane Hoover hit a run-scoring single through the right side of the infield for another insurance run
 

• The Grizzlies outhit Saint Mary-of-the-Woods by a 12-5 margin
• GGC recorded five stolen bases in Monday's victory
• In a relief effort, sophomore pitcher Annalise Wood struck out six of the nine batters she faced in recording her third save of the 2023 season
• Four different Grizzlies had multiple-hit efforts  

• GGC improves to 41-10 on the season, while Saint Mary-of-the-Woods drops to 37-14 this spring
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 8 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll
• GGC was the No. 1 seed in the NAIA Opening Round Lawrenceville Bracket; Saint Mary-of-the-Woods stood as the No. 4 seed
• Monday's contest marked the first meeting between the two programs

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play No. 3 seed Indiana Tech in a winner's bracket game on Tuesday, May 16, from the Grizzly Softball Complex, starting at noon.