STARKVILLE, Miss. – Georgia Tech softball (7-2) saw another split day at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic, rolling past Southern Illinois, 6-1, before falling to host Mississippi State, 11-3, on Saturday at Nusz Park.
Graduate senior first baseman Tricia Awald and junior designated player Caroline Davis led the Jackets at the dish through the day, both batting .500. Awald finished 3-for-6 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored while Davis went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a run scored after cranking a two-run bomb. From the circle, Neleman held a steady presence once more earning her fourth complete game win of the year over Southern Illinois with seven strikeouts in as many innings of work.
Game One: Georgia Tech wasted no time getting started, using a two-out rally in the top of the opening frame to climb on top. Following a single by sophomore third baseman Mallorie Black and a drawn walk by sophomore designated player Sara Beth Allen, freshman right fielder Emma Minghini added to her team-leading RBI tally by pushing home Black with a single. After a quiet second inning, the White and Gold caught fire in the top of the third, loading the bases with no outs behind a trio of singles. With Awald, Black and Allen occupying the base path, Minghini once again came through with a single, scoring Awald before freshman second baseman Grace Connelly followed suit with an RBI single of her own that sent in Black for a 3-0 Tech lead. After two scoreless innings, the Jackets further built on their lead in the top of the sixth. Loading the bases behind a leadoff walk by senior left fielder Kennedy Cowden and a pair of singles by freshman center fielder Auburn Dupree and junior catcher Emma Kauf, Awald stepped to the plate and hammered an RBI single to the left-field wall. Southern Illinois (3-4) ended the shutout in the bottom of the frame, plating a run on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 4-1. Georgia Tech added two more insurance runs in the top of the seventh as Connelly and sophomore shortstop Jin Sileo singled, allowing Kauf to drive them home. Neleman would close things out in the bottom of the final frame, wrapping up her complete game with seven strikeouts as the Yellow Jackets triumphed, 6-1.
Game Two: Mississippi State (5-4) delivered the first blow of Georgia Tech’s second game of the day, jumping ahead 3-0 in the second by way of an RBI double and a following two-run home run. The Bulldogs tacked on another pair in the bottom of the third using another RBI double and scoring on a wild pitch to move up 5-0. Davis got the Jackets back in it, first singling to open the fourth and making her way home thanks to three walks behind her. After Awald led off the top of the fifth with a single, Davis made her way back to the dish, going yard for the first time this season and second time in her career with a two-run shot to cut the Mississippi State lead to 5-3. With the Yellow Jackets in striking distance, the Bulldogs pulled away once more in the bottom of the frame. Mississippi State first got its two runs back on a two-RBI single and later added to its lead with a base-clearing, three RBI double for a 10-3 advantage. The Bulldogs closed out the game in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double for an 11-3, mercy rule victory.
Game Notes
- Davis picked up her second career homerun and first of the season against Mississippi State.
- Awald has gotten a hit in every game this season. The veteran slugger is batting .600 this season with 15 hits, five doubles, two home runs and eight RBI for a 1.040 slugging percentage and a .722 on-base percentage.
- Neleman still maintains a sub 1 ERA on the season at 0.94 with four complete game wins and 41 strikeouts through 29 2/3 innings pitched.
Up Next
Georgia Tech will wrap up the Bulldog Kickoff Classic with a rematch against Mississippi State on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT at Nusz Park.
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