April 9, 2005
ATLANTA – Senior Jessica Sallinger (19-6) became the second pitcher in Atlantic Coast Conference history to win 100 games in a career with a three-hit shutout in the opener, 13th of the season, and freshman Savannah Brown went 2-for-4, with a home run and four RBIs in the nightcap, to lead No. 21 Georgia Tech (37-9, 8-2 ACC) over NC State (31-21, 2-5 ACC), 4-0 and 9-2, at Glenn Field on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s great to reach such a feat,” said Sallinger. “I was able to make some good pitches when I had to and it was important that I was able to get out of a jam in the first inning to give the team some momentum in that first game, and it carried over to the next game.”
Sallinger, a native of Kennesaw, Ga., moved into seventh place all-time in the NCAA with 1,283 career strikeouts. The Yellow Jackets tied a school record with seven stolen bases in the opening game and tallied a season-high 16 hits in game two. Freshman Aileen Morales stole three bases on the day, pushing her season total to 33, breaking the single season school record of 32.
Junior Christine Sheridan went 5-for-7, with a double and three runs batted in, on the afternoon. Sophomore Caitlin Lever was 5-for-8, with three stolen bases and one RBI. Senior Kirin Kumar drove in two runs for Tech in the nightcap.
Sophomore Sarah Wood (11-2) won her ninth decision in her last 10 starts for the Jackets in game two, throwing five innings, scattering four hits, allowing two runs, one earned and struck out five.
In game one, NC State placed runners at second and third with no outs in the top of the first inning, but Sallinger fanned the next three batters to get out of the jam.
Brown led off the bottom of the second inning with a base hit to right field and advanced two bases on an error by the Wolfpack right fielder. Junior Amy Hosier followed with a base hit to right field to drive in Brown and give Tech a 1-0 lead.
Morales led off the bottom of the third inning with a base hit up the middle and stole second base. Lever drove her in with a triple to right-center field to increase the Jackets’ lead to two, 2-0. The Wolfpack’s Brooke Isley pitched her way out of the jam by not allowing another run to advance the game to the fourth inning.
Sheridan put the Jackets ahead by three in the bottom of the fifth inning with an RBI double to left-center field to plate Lever who reached on a bunt single and stole second base.
Sheridan drove in her second run of the game for the Jackets in the bottom of the sixth inning on a base hit up the middle to score freshman Stephanie Butler, who came in to run for Kumar who doubled, to increase Tech’s lead to 4-0, heading to the seventh inning.
Sallinger struck out her 11th and 12th batter of the game in the final inning to retire the side in order and lift Tech over NC State, 4-0.
In game two, Morales led off the first inning with a bunt single and stole her 32nd base of the season, tying a school record for a single season. Lever followed with a base hit up the middle and Sheridan drew a walk to load the bases for the Jackets with no outs. Brown delivered with a base hit to left field to drive in Morales and Lever as Tech took an early 2-0 lead.
Morales singled in the bottom of the second inning to right field, stole her record breaking 33rd base of the season and came around to score on an RBI single by Sheridan as Tech led 3-0 after two complete innings of play.
NC State got on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning with an unearned run as Shaina Ervin singled with two outs to right field to plate a run for the Wolfpack and cut Tech’s lead to two, 3-1.
The Yellow Jackets scored two more runs in the bottom of the third inning as seniors Liz Bartle and Kirin Kumar drove in runs to push the advantage to 5-1.
The Jackets scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-run blast by Brown and RBIs by freshman Kacey Ivey and Kumar as Tech’s lead grew to eight, 9-1.
NC State’s Miranda Ervin prolonged the game for the Wolfpack with a two-out RBI double to right-center field to plate Smith, who reached on a fielder’s choice, as the game moved to the bottom half of the fifth inning.
Freshman Whitney Humphreys entered the circle for the Jackets in the top of the sixth inning and did not allow a run in the final two innings. Humphreys allowed one hit and struck out one.
The Yellow Jackets will try and pick up the series sweep over NC State on Sunday. The single game will begin at Noon at Glenn Field.
-GT SOFTBALL-
