Grand Slam Bri Bomb lifts Arkansas over Georgia 5-1 at the SEC Tournament

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

Georgia only allowed Arkansas superstar Bri Ellis to swing one time on Wednesday at the SEC Softball Tournament.

That was one time too many.

Ellis’ walk off grand slam lifted the fifth-seeded Razorbacks to a 5-1 win over the 12th-seeded Bulldogs in Athens, Ga.

The homer was Ellis 26th of the season, which broke the school record and also tied the SEC record.

It advances Arkansas (39-11) into a Thursday quarterfinal game with No. 3 seed Tennessee.

The Razorbacks took two of three from the Volunteers earlier in the season.

Arkansas, ranked No. 1 by Softball America this week, only had three hits entering the seventh inning against Georgia pitcher Randi Roelling (9-8).

The first was Courtney Day’s 167th homer of the season – a solo shot that tied the game 1-1 in the fifth inning.

The fourth was Reagan Johnson’s bunt single in the seventh that helped extend to Ellis.

Georgia (31-20) had walked Ellis in her first two at bats on a combined eight pitches and she was hit her next time up.

Robyn Herron (16-5) got the win on the mound for Arkansas by pitching three scoreless innings of relief.

Razorback starter Payton Burnham allowed one run on five hits, including Marissa Miller’s RBI single that put her team up 1-0 in the fourth.

Photo courtesy of Razorbacks Communications