ATHENS, Ga. - The 19th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs swept a doubleheader against No. 18 Auburn Saturday, winning the first SEC series of the season.

Georgia's Madison Kerpics pitched a complete-game shutout in the first game of the day as the Bulldogs won 5-0 to even the series against the Tigers (21-5, 1-2). The Dogs battled back from a four-run deficit in the series finale and used late innings heroics from Ally Kurland and Jayda Kearney to win the series in a 10-inning thriller, 5-4.

Georgia improves to 20-6 on the season and 2-1 in Conference play.

No. 19 Georgia 5, No. 18 Auburn 0

Georgia evened the conference-opening series with a 5-0 shutout of the Tigers behind a two-hitter from junior Kerpics (7-4) in the circle. Kerpics struck out eight batters and walked just two in her complete-game outing.

The offense scattered nine hits led by a three-hit game from Dallis Goodnight at the top of the order. Sydney Chambley contributed two hits in the contest.

The Bulldogs were the first on the board in the second inning. Chambley fired a two-out double down the right field line then took third on a throwing error by the right fielder. She immediately scored on a double to center off the bat of Kurland to put Georgia ahead 1-0.

Sara Mosley's second home run of the series and eighth of the season, a two-run shot to left, widened Georgia's lead to 3-0 in the third.

Georgia strung together some two-out production in the fourth. Ellie Armistead singled to center then stole second. The speedy Armistead scored easy on a base hit to right off the bat of Goodnight, lengthening the lead to 4-0 for the Dogs.

A wild pitch allowed Jaydyn Goodwin to score in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 5-0 lead for Georgia.

No. 19 Georgia 5, No. 18 Auburn 4 (10 inn.)

Sophomore Kylie Macy worked one inning in her start, allowing four runs on four hits. Shelby Walters worked eight and a third scoreless innings out of the pen in relief. Kerpics (8-4) pitched the final two outs in the 10thand picked up the win in the circle.

Georgia's offense combined for eight hits led by two from Lyndi Rae Davis. Three Bulldogs went deep including a game-tying two-run home run from Kurland in the seventh and a walk-off blast from Kearney in the 10th inning.

Auburn quickly put together four runs in the first inning to take an early 4-0 lead in the rubber game of the series.

The Dogs answered back in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single from Davis to put Georgia on the board, 4-1.

Mosley took Auburn's Maddie Penta deep in the fourth for her third home run of the series, fourth-straight game with a home run, and took the team lead with nine on the season, cutting the lead to 4-2.

Georgia rallied in the bottom of the seventh to erase the deficit. Pinch hitter Jaydyn Goodwin singled to lead off the inning. Kurland then blasted a two-run home run to center, knotting the game at 4-all and forcing extra innings.

After two and a half extra innings, it took a solo home run off the bat of Kearney to lift Georgia past Auburn 5-4 in 10 innings, securing the doubleheader sweep and the SEC opening series win.

Georgia is back in action Wednesday at Jack Turner Stadium hosting Furman in a midweek contest. First pitch between the Bulldogs and Paladins is set for 6:30 p.m.

Head coach Tony Baldwin

On the game...
"That is a full day of softball. I couldn't be prouder of the way that we showed up and just competed. 17 innings today; 16 shutout innings. Hats off to our pitchers, particularly hats off to Chelsea [Wilkinson]. Last night we felt like [Auburn] was prepared for some of the things that we did. I don't think we were off by much, but credit goes to them on the success that they had. Today, we adjusted the plan - Chelsea adjusted the plan - and the pitchers executed perfectly. Shelby [Walters] came in and was lights out. Madison [Kerpics] pitched great in game one. And then up and down the lineup I thought we had a lot of big at bats. I still don't think our discipline in the batter's box is where it needs to be, but I think we can be better there. It's hard to complain with the kind of weekend that we had with the bats against that kind of pitching. Maddie Penta is as good as anybody in the country. I really believe the pitching that we faced leading into this weekend has prepared us and that is a big factor in the success. I'm proud of the way that we competed and grinded all the way to the end. We had fun doing the competition and that's what it's all about."