Blue Devils Fall to Georgia in NCAA Regional Championship Game

Sunday, May 18

Durham, N.C.

2:30 p.m.

Duke University

41-17

Georgia

33-21

Duke

Georgia

Blue Devils Fall to Georgia in NCAA Regional Championship Game

5/18/2025 10:46:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Postgame Quotes (PDF)

DURHAM, N.C. – After battling back through the consolation bracket, Duke had its season come to an end after falling to Georgia, 5-2, in the NCAA Durham Regional championship game Sunday night at Duke Softball Stadium.

The Blue Devils finished the year with a 41-18 overall record, marking their fifth straight season with 40-plus wins.

Junior Cassidy Curd and graduate student Dani Drogemuller shared the circle during the twin bill. Curd picked up the win in game one after tossing 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, limiting the Bulldogs to just two hits with a pair of strikeouts. The lefty earned the start in game two and was ultimately tagged with the loss after allowing four runs off 10 hits in 7.0 innings of work.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)

After a scoreless first inning, redshirt junior Jada Baker sent a two-out double down the left field line to bring in junior KK Mathis for the first run of the game.
Georgia pushed its lone run across the plate in the home half, using a pair of hits and a sacrifice bunt to tie the game up at 1-1.
The Bulldogs' offense threatened in the bottom of the fourth, placing runners on the corners with one out but Curd sat down the following two batters on an infield pop up and swinging strikeout to keep the score knotted at 1-1.
Duke's offense broke through in the top of the sixth after sophomore Amiah Burgess sparked a one-out rally. Burgess sent a base hit into center field to score Vega, who reached on a infield single. A sacrifice fly from Baker and RBI knocks from freshman Hailey Shuler, junior D'Auna Jennings and graduate student Thessa Malau'ulu put the Blue Devils ahead, 7-1.
Mathis drove in Duke's eighth and final run in the top of the seventh with a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing in senior Ana Gold from third. Gold drew a leadoff walk before advancing on a stolen base and a groundout.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME TWO)

Gold opened the second game with a two-run shot to left-center field. Her long ball brought in Shuler, who drew a one-out walk.
The game then became a pitcher's duel between Curd and Georgia's Randi Roelling as the duo allowed just two runners to move into scoring position over the following four frames.
Georgia's offense began to chip away at the Blue Devils' lead in the top of the sixth, connecting a walk and back-to-back base hits to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Bulldogs kept their momentum going, adding another run in the top of the seventh to tie the game up at 2-2 and force extra innings.
Georgia tacked on three runs off three hits and a Blue Devil error to seal the extra-innings victory, 5-2.

NOTES

Vega tied Jennings' single-season program record with 80 hits on the year.
Curd closes out the year with a 15-8 record in the circle.
Shuler tallied her second career RBI during the first game.
Gold recorded the 15th home run of the season and 54th of her Blue Devil career.
The Ballston Spa, N.Y., native finished nearly perfect on the basepath with 20 stolen bases in 21 attempts.
Malau'ulu and Gold tallied their 10th and 17th multi-RBI performances of the year, respectively.
The Blue Devils are now 15-12 all-time in NCAA play.

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