This post was updated May 21 at 11:33 p.m.

No. 6 seed UCLA softball (40-10, 17-4 Pac-12) will face No. 11 seed Georgia (43-17, 12-12 SEC) in the Los Angeles super regional set to begin Thursday, with a spot in the Women’s College World Series on the line. The teams last met in February, when the Bulldogs outlasted the Bruins 7-2, but the tides have since changed for both programs. Here is this weekend’s scouting report from contributor Matthew Niiya – who is so incredibly excited to start studying for his Chemistry 110A midterm.

Georgia Personnel:
Position Player to Watch: Infielder Sara Mosley
Pitcher to Watch: Lilli Backes
X-Factor: Outfielder Dallis Goodnight

Georgia Stat Profile:
Batting Average: .298 (No. 58 nationally)
Scoring: 5.93 runs per game (No. 25 nationally)
Earned Run Average: 2.67 (No. 39 nationally)

After a nine-game winning streak to open their season, the Bulldogs’ bark has since been muzzled.

Georgia narrowly escaped its regional after staving off elimination in three consecutive games – its first three-game winning streak since the end of March.

Early in the season, the Bulldogs prevailed in a contest against the Bruins behind a complete game from pitcher Lilli Backes.

Backes threw seven innings and gave up just two runs on four hits while striking out three.

Her 2.45 ERA, 20 starts and 174 innings pitched on the season lead the squad, forecasting her importance this weekend against the Bruins.

Though Backes has been Georgia’s most effective pitcher, the squad has different looks to offer the Bruin hitters with pitchers Madison Kerpics and Shelby Walters. The two have started 17 and 15 games, respectively, and both hold sub-3.30 ERAs.

Managing the three-headed attack that is the Georgia bullpen is coach Tony Baldwin, who is in his third season at the helm. He heads a program that has made 22 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances but has yet to win a title in five WCWS appearances.

At the Athens regional, with his team’s back against the wall, Baldwin turned to Backes. She pitched in four of the Bulldogs’ five regional contests, appearing in each of their elimination games.

She pitched her best in the clutch, yielding just three runs across 17.1 innings in the squad’s three elimination contests.

Despite Backes’ ability to limit production from opposing offenses, the Bulldogs trailed 2-1, just one out away from elimination in the regional’s deciding game.

But with a runner on second for the Bulldogs, Dallis Goodnight stepped up to the plate. The outfielder bounced a single up the middle to tie the game and advanced into scoring position on the throw home, allowing her to score the eventual winning run.

Her .351 batting average and .435 on-base percentage – ranking second and third on the team, respectively, among qualified hitters – have made her effective in the leadoff role.

Though Georgia does not often steal – successful just .65 times per game, ranking 220th nationally – Goodnight leads the team with 12 bases swiped on 17 attempts.

Goodnight’s ability to get on base and pressure UCLA’s pitchers and defense will be critical if the Bulldogs want to get the Bruin bullpen out of rhythm.

Outfielder Jayda Kearney and infielder Sara Mosley will be tasked with driving Goodnight and other Bulldog baserunners home. The power-hitting duo – tied for the team lead with 20 home runs apiece – have combined for 119 RBIs on the season.

Kearney and Mosley own the top two slugging percentages on the team, spearheading a powerful Georgia lineup that sits at 10th in the nation.

Mosley’s bat, in particular, has been on fire as of late.

She recorded a hit in each of the Bulldogs’ five regional contests – the only hitter on her team to do so – including three home runs and seven RBIs.

Though the Georgia lineup stacks its power hitters back-to-back, the remainder of the order is not lacking production.

Four other hitters have each racked up more than 25 RBIs on the season, and the Bulldogs sit just inside the top 25 in scoring at 5.93 runs per game.

If Georgia is to extend its season beyond this weekend, Mosley, Goodnight and the rest of the lineup need to put runs on the board. Backes and company will need all the run support they can get as they will have to minimize the damage from an explosive UCLA lineup, which has had a flair for the dramatic as the path to Oklahoma City narrows.