May 10, 2012
Box Score | Practice Photo Gallery | GT Photo Gallery
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Using nine hits, including three home runs, the No. 3 seeded Georgia Tech softball team moved past No. 6 Virginia 6-4 in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals Thursday at Anderson Stadium.
Virginia (26-25) made it interesting in the seventh, but with the win, the Jackets (34-21) move onto the ACC Semifinals for the third time in the last five years and will face the winner of the NC State/Florida State match up. The win also halted a four-game losing streak to the Cavaliers which began last year at the ACC Tournament.
Hope Rushallowed five hits (three in the seventh inning) and four runs while striking out four to earn her 23rd victory of the season. She was also 1-for-3 at the plate with a solo blast to centerfield in the sixth inning to give Tech a six run edge.
The five combined home runs (Tech 3, UVa 2) tied an ACC record for a single game ACC record set by Georgia Tech (4) and Boston College (1) in 2006, coincidentally in Chapel Hill.
Alysha Rudnik got Tech on the board in the first inning with a two run shot that clanged off the scoreboard in left centerfield. The roundtripper was her ninth of the season and brought home Kate Kuzmawho was standing on second after a double down the leftfield line.
UVa pitcher Melanie Mitchell retired the next 10 batters before Shannon Bearlaunched her ninth home run of the season just over the left field wall on a 1-1 count to give the Yellow Jackets their third run of the game.
The Jackets rallied off four-consecutive hits in the inning to load the bases and Kelsi Weseman delivered with a sacrifice fly to centerfield for Tech’s fourth run of the game plating Katie Johnsky. A bloop single to left field by Kuzma brought in pinch runner Kelly Delashmitfrom second who was going full speed around the bag with two outs to give Tech its 5-0 lead.
Rush added yet another run in the sixth inning when she launched one to deep centerfield after being given the green light on a 3-0 count to give Tech a 6-0 advantage.
In the top of the seventh, in their last at bats of the game, pinch hitters Rachel Gillen and Karli Johnson had back-to-back, first career pinch hit homers for the Cavaliers to give Virginia its first runs of the game. The Cavaliers added another couple of runs to their total in the top half of the inning, but Hayley Downssnagged a fly ball on the warning track for the final out of the inning and the ball game.
Keep up to date with the Georgia Tech Softball team all season long at www.RamblinWreck.com as well as twitter.com/GaTechSoftball and facebook.com/GTSoftball
