April 7, 2017
THE FLATS – Knotted 6-6 in the bottom of the 10th, sophomore Kaylee Ellebracht recorded the game winning RBI when she singled in Katie Krzus to give Georgia Tech softball (12-25, 5-8 ACC) the 7-6 win in the series opener against NC State (12-25, 6-4) on Friday evening.
How It Happened
NC State scored three runs in the third and took that 3-0 lead to the bottom of the seventh. The Jackets once again showed their resilience and rallied. With one out, Malea Bell doubled, Katie Krzus singled and Draven Sonnon stepped to the plate and hit a three-run home run, making her second long ball of the season count to tie the game.
It turned into a back and forth battle. The Pack scored a run in the top of the eighth and the Jackets countered with a run in the bottom of the same frame. Jessica Kowalewicz extended her hitting streak to seven games and her reached base streak to 11 games with a single. Krzus’ RBI-single to center brought in Kowalewicz for the tying run.
The Wolfpack rallied again for two runs in the top of the ninth and again the Jackets held their own. Crosby Huckabay reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to third on Kowalewicz’s double, making it her fourth game straight with a double. Kelsey Chisholm singled to put runners on the corners and an errant throw down to second on Chisholm’s steal brought home Kowalewicz for the tying run again.
Tech’s defense held NC State in the top of the 10th and the Jackets’ bats stayed hot in the home half. Krzus led off with a single and Sonnon’s sacrifice bunt moved her to second. With two down, Ellebracht singled to the right side, allowing Krzus to score from second and give Tech the win.
Junior Emily Anderson (4-8) earned the win, throwing all 10 innings with six runs on four hits and eight strike outs. Peyton Silverman (8-14) suffered the loss after pitching 10 innings and scattering 14 hits with seven runs.
Quote
“We had one not so sharp inning, but I thought Emily pitched a great game,” head coach Shelly Hoerner said. “After one time through the lineup I thought we made good adjustments. We never gave up. We continue to fight and fight until the end and I love that. The team came up in clutch situations in every extra inning today. I think that’s huge for us. It was a great team win.”
Quick Hits
– Kowalewicz went 2-for-5 with two runs
– Sonnon hit 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI
– Ellebracht went 3-for-5 with an RBI
– The Jackets turned their 15th double play of the season
– Krzus scored two runs and tallied three hits with an RBI
– Tech out-hit NC State 14-4
– The game marked the ninth extra-inning game this season and the most since nine in the both the 2003 and 2002 seasons
– The Jackets put down two sacrifice bunts for the third time this season and were tied for fourth in the ACC in that category headed into the game
Up Next
Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. on the ACC Network Extra.
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