April 6, 2016
THE FLATS – Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Courtney Ziese’s RBI-double scored Katie Krzus to give Georgia Tech softball (15-21) a 4-3 victory against Georgia State (19-19) Wednesday evening in front of a packed Mewborn Field.
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“We were very resilient and we’re fighters,” head coach Shelly Hoerner said. “I thought we were calm throughout the game and we adjusted. We have to play every pitch until the last out of the game and we did that. I thought Courtney Ziese had a great game. She came up in two clutch situations. We ran the bases well today and had a really aggressive mentality.
“It was a great overall win on National Student-Athlete Day so I’m proud of the team. It was a great crowd. Thank you to all of the fans that came out. The Georgia Tech band was here and it was a great atmosphere for everyone. We appreciate all the support and all the fans.”
How It Happened
The Panthers got on the board first thanks to a leadoff home run by Kensey Caldwell in the second inning. Georgia State tacked on a run in the third courtesy of a home run by Ivie Drake to take a 2-0 lead.
The Jackets tied it up in the fifth inning. With one out, Samantha Pierannunzi drew her team-leading 21st walk. Kelsey Chisholm singled, which moved Pierannunzi to third, and Chisholm stole second base.
Pierannunzi scored on a groundout by Katie Krzus, and a single to the left side by Courtney Ziese brought in Chisholm as the tying run.
Georgia Tech plated the go-ahead run in the fourth inning. Draven Sonnon reached on a fielder’s choice, moved to second on a ground out and took third on a passed ball. Pinch hitter Malea Bell drew a walk in place of Jessica Kowalewicz, who re-entered the game to run. On her attempt to steal second, a Georgia State error on the throw down allowed Sonnon to advance home and give Georgia Tech the 3-2 advantage.
Georgia State clawed back to score a run on three hits in the top of the seventh. With the bases loaded, two outs and a 3-3 tie, Sonnon made a huge diving catch in right field to save the situation.
In the bottom of the seventh and tied up 3-3, Krzus singled with one out. Ziese followed with a walk-off double to score Krzus and give Georgia Tech the 4-3 victory.
Emily Anderson (10-13) earned the win allowing three runs on 10 hits in a complete game effort.
Katie Worley started for the Panthers and pitched four scoreless innings. Amanda Chance (3-4) pitched the final 2.1 innings and gave up four runs on five hits for the loss.
Quick hits
– Pierannunzi reached based in seven straight games; drawing a pair of walks and scoring a run against the Panthers
– Courtney Ziese went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI
– Katie Krzus went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI
– Kelsey Chisholm went 2-for-4 with a run
Up Next
Georgia Tech heads to Lawrence, Kan. for the Kansas Round Robin. The Yellow Jackets take on Kansas and North Texas beginning April 9.
Keep up with Yellow Jacket softball this season by following Georgia Tech Softball on Twitter at @GaTechSoftball, Instagram at @GaTechSoftball and liking Georgia Tech Softball on Facebook.
