No. 5 Florida wins softball series from No. 20 Georgia
![Florida's Charla Echols led the way in Monday's win at Georgia. It was her second multi-home run game of the season and fourth of her career. [File]](/gcdn/presto/2021/03/05/NTGG/2706a1f4-f852-401b-aab9-482c920ee802-FLGAI-030521-UFvs.FSUSoftball06.jpg?width=660&height=524&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
ATHENS, Ga. — Maybe the maintenance folks should have plugged in to Charla Echols' bat in order to prevent a power outage at Jack Turner Stadium on Monday night.
Echols supplied plenty of electricity with two home runs to lead No. 5 Florida to the SEC softball series win over No. 20 Georgia, 8-1.
The Gators improved to 27-4 overall, 10-2 in the SEC with their fourth consecutive league series win, while the Bulldogs dropped to 23-7, 4-5.
Florida scored three runs in the first inning when Echols drove in Hannah Adams, who had a bunt single, with her two-run home run and an Avery Goelz RBI groundout. Echols also hit a two-run home run in the first inning of Sunday's 17-1 win.
Echols made it 4-0 with a solo home run in the third, her eighth of the season.
Georgia's Savana Sikes homered to bring the score to 4-1 in the bottom of the third before the Gators began to pull away with two runs in the fourth on run-scoring groundouts from Adams and Kendyl Lindaman.
The Gators had a chance to pad their lead with runners on second and third with only one out in the sixth, but came out empty.
A power surge then caused a 23-minute delay with two out in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Cheyenne Lindsey added a sacrifice fly and Adams a RBI single in the seventh to push the game out of reach.
Starting pitcher Katie Chronister (6-1) allowed five hits and the earned run in four innings before giving with to Natalie Lugo in the fifth. Lugo took care of business on the mound from there to earn her third save.
Mary Wilson Avant (12-3), Saturday's winning pitcher, took the loss.
The Gators return home to face South Florida (17-7) for a doubleheader Wednesday starting at 5 p.m.
Note: Florida added a pair of games against Western Kentucky at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
The additional games against the Hilltoppers will slightly alter the originally scheduled Saturday exhibition with Softball Canada as the 10-inning contest will now be a seven-inning game that is scheduled to still start at 1:30 p.m.
Western Kentucky will also take on Canada in an exhibition Saturday at 4 p.m.
Wednesday
Who: South Florida (17-7) vs. Florida (27-4)
When: 5 p.m. doubleheader
Where: Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium
Online: SEC Network+