SEC Tournament Game 11 Recap: Georgia 4, Tennessee 0
5/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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TUSCALOOSA, ALA - After 10 innings of play and several weather delays, Georgia senior Shannon McKeon used one swing of the bat to clear loaded bases and end the 11th game of Southeastern Conference Softball Championships held at the Alabama Softball Complex this week with a score of 4-0.
"I just wanted to get something I could hit hard," McKeon said of her game-winning blast.
Georgia is now 1-1 in the postseason against the Lady Vols with both games going extra innings. Kasi Carroll pitched a complete game to pick up the win for the Lady Dogs, going to 16-7 on the season. Monica Abbott took the loss, dropping to 43-8.
Georgia and Tennessee tied the SEC Tournament record for longest game, playing 10 innings. Only three other games in tournament history have gone 10 innings. The game was only 11 minutes shy of breaking the tournament record for longest game, time-wise, in SEC Tournament history. The record is 2 hours and 54 minutes set by Alabama and LSU in the second round on May 9, 1998.
No. 1 seed LSU faces No. 4 Auburn in the day's last game, which will get underway after 10 p.m.
Georgia Notes
--Shannon McKeon hit walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning.
--Georgia has won eight of the last 10 meetings with Tennessee.
--McKeon hits second grand-slam of year
--UGA is now 2-1 in extra inning games this season.
--The win marks the second time Georgia beat UT in 10 innings this season. The first time was a 5-4 win in Athens.
Tennessee Notes
--Tennessee is now 1-1 against Georgia in post season meetings. The Lady Vols beat Georgia 5-3 (9 inn.) in 2003.
Game Notes
--Georgia and Tennessee tied the SEC Tournament record for longest game, playing 10 innings. Only three other games in tournament history have gone 10 innings.
--The game was only 11 minutes shy of breaking the tournament record for longest game, time-wise, in SEC Tournament history. The record is 2:54, Alabama vs. LSU in the second round on May 9, 1998.
GEORGIA QUOTES
Georgia Head Coach Lu Harris-Champer
"That was just an awesome game. It's a testament to how great the SEC is."
On not using the international tiebreaker in extra innings:
"I prefer real softball. It changes how the game is played. It takes away from the game."
Georgia Outfielder Julie Milner
On her home run saving catch:
"We've been working on it everyday in practice. It just happened that luck was on our side and we won the game."
Georgia Pitcher Kasi Carroll
"We were all fighting for each other. It was a great game. It was an all around team effort."
Georgia Catcher Shannon McKeon
On her grand slam:
"I just wanted to get something I could hit hard."
TENNESSEE QUOTES:
Head Coach Ralph Weekly:
"I'm really proud of my team. They're young and they're going to learn from this. Georgia's a fantastic team and they come at you from every side. We didn't execute late and that hurt us."
"Our game plan, of course, was to win. There's a special rivalry between us and Georgia, but it's honestly one of respect. We wanted to win bad. Our approach was to do everything we could to play tomorrow."
"Tonight, the best team won because they got it done and we didn't. When you play good teams, things (like this) happen."
P Stacey Jennings:
"I felt like I needed to go out there and pitch my very best for the team. I felt the game was in my hands while I was out there and I just kept fighting. Our team fought as hard as we could to win, and that's all we could do."
