Feb. 15, 2006
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Head Softball Coach Ehren Earleywine reached 100 career wins in just 135 career games and sophomore catcher Savannah Brown went 5-for-6 with a home run and two runs batted in and junior right fielder Caitlin Lever finished 5-for-7, with three RBIs to lead Georgia Tech (3-2) to a sweep over Chattanooga (0-2), 7-2 and 7-1, on Wednesday at Jim Frost Stadium.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Whitney Humphreys (2-0) worked five strong innings in the opener, striking out a career-high seven, allowing just two hits and two earned runs to pick up her second win of the season.
In the nightcap, junior left-handed pitcher Sarah Wood (1-0) threw four innings, allowing two hits, one run, no earned runs and fanned six. Freshman left-handed pitcher Lacey Richardson tallied her first save of the season, throwing three scoreless innings and striking out four to close out the game for the Yellow Jackets.
Senior shortstop Christine Sheridan drove in three runs on the day, finishing the doubleheader 3-for-8.
Trailing 1-0 in the top of the third inning of game one, Lever delivered a two-out single to center field to plate two runs and give the Jackets a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the fifth inning, Lever drove in a run and Sheridan drove in two more as the Jackets took a 5-1 lead.
UTC’s Toni Hutchinson led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run to cut Tech’s lead down to three, 5-2.
Brown doubled to left-center field to plate Tech’s sixth run of the game to push the advantage back to four runs, 6-2, in the top of the sixth inning.
Sheridan drove in the final run for the Yellow Jackets in the top of the seventh inning with a base hit up the middle as Tech’s advantage moved to five runs, 7-2.
Tech scored seven runs, on a season-high 11 hits and had one error, while UTC scored two runs, on three hits and committed three errors.
In game two, the Jackets pushed five runs across in the top of the first inning courtesy of two Chattanooga errors and Brown’s first home run of the season as Tech led 5-0 early.
The Jackets added two more runs in the seventh inning on a Kristina Hull RBI single and an RBI off the bat of sophomore Kacey Ivey.
Tech scored seven runs, on 10 hits and committed three errors, while the Lady Mocs scored one run, on three hits and had three errors.
The Yellow Jackets will try and defend its Lady Panther Invitational title this weekend, Feb. 18-19, in Panthersville, Ga., at Bob Heck Field. The Jackets will face in-state foes Georgia State (12:15 p.m.) and Kennesaw State (2:30 p.m.) on Saturday.
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