FAYETTEVILLE -- Georgia was one strike away from defeat Thursday night at Bogle Park.
Junior right fielder Jayda Kearney had other plans.
Kearney made contact on a two-strike rise ball pitch from Chenise Delce in the seventh inning and lifted it over the right-field wall. Her three-run home run pushed the 14th-ranked Bulldogs to a 4-3 win over the No. 8 University of Arkansas softball team in the series opener.
It sent the Georgia dugout into a frenzy, as the hit gave the Bulldogs (30-7, 10-2 SEC) their first lead of the game.
The deflated Razorbacks (27-10, 8-5) went down quietly in their half of the inning and saw a four-game win streak snapped.
"I think we're all sick to our stomach right now," Arkansas Coach Courtney Deifel said. "When you're one strike away from a win and the game changes with a swing, we all just felt like we got punched in the gut."
Delce held a powerful Georgia offense at bay for most of the game. Entering the game, the Bulldogs had 61 home runs -- third most in Division I.
Home run No. 62 spoiled what was largely an impressive pitching performance from Delce. She tossed all seven innings and suffered her fifth loss of the season. Delce allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and struck out 9.
"Sometimes you can get caught up in that feeling and miss a lot of great things that happened in the game," Deifel said. "I'm really happy with the way we fought. I'm happy about the way we controlled the game for the most part. I thought Chenise threw an exceptional game, and I thought we did a good job collectively, but obviously this feeling right now sucks."
Kearney entered with a .390 batting average and 13 home runs but struggled against Delce until it mattered most. Her 14th home run of the season was her lone hit against the Razorbacks.
The Arkansas ace stepped away from the circle in disappointment after the home run. She recollected herself and got the inning's final out.
"Chenise is probably pretty bummed," Deifel said. "I'm giving her a little bit of a moment, but I think that when you look at the game she threw overall, I think there's a lot to pull from that was really positive.
"I know she felt it with that pitch -- you don't see her take a moment like that too much. We'll talk through it, and we'll get her on track. There's not really anything to really fix. She pitched a heck of a game against a very good offense, and they hit a mis-pitch."
Cylie Halvorson gave Arkansas an early advantage when she mashed a two-run home run to center field on a full count with two outs in the first inning. It was her fifth homer of the season.
Georgia got a run back in the third inning, but the damage could have been worse. Sara Mosley hit an RBI single to score Marisa Miller and pull the Bulldogs within 2-1. Arkansas was able to escape a one-out jam with runners in scoring position to end the inning.
The Razorbacks answered in the bottom of the third inning. Kacie Hoffmann doubled through a gap in right-center field to score Rylin Hedgecock, who had walked two batters earlier.
The Bulldogs turned to right-hander Kylie Macy in the fourth inning and she gave Arkansas fits. Macy had seven strikeouts and closed the game by retiring 11 in a row to earn a win.
"She was spinning it really nice, changing speeds really effectively," Deifel said. "But we weren't really aggressive in our zone [and] we stretched a little bit.
"There's a lot to learn from today -- a lot to adjust to be ready to go tomorrow."
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for today at 6 p.m.