Feb. 6, 2015
Kansas Box Score | LIU Box Score
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Georgia Tech softball team (0-2) fell to Kansas (2-0) and LIU-Brooklyn (1-1) on the first day of the FAU Tournament at the FAU Softball Stadium. The Jackets fell 4-2 against the Jayhawks and were edged 4-3 against the Blackbirds.
The Jackets continue action Saturday at the FAU Tournament with games against Penn State at 3:45 p.m. and against host FAU at 8:15 p.m.
“We pitched well enough to win both games,” head coach Shelly Hoerner said. “Unfortunately we didn’t play behind our pitchers today. We were not sharp defensively and offensively we didn’t cash runners in when we needed to. We need to be better overall; physically and mentally.”
Game 1: Kansas 4, Georgia Tech 2
Freshman pitcher Emily Anderson racked up eight strikeouts in her first collegiate start, but the Jackets fell to Kansas, 4-2 in the season opener.
Samantha Pierannunzi smacked a leadoff double to left and Chelsie Thomas moved her second on a sacrifice bunt. A two out, triple by Maddie Lionberger to deep center field scored Pierannunzi and gave Tech a 1-0 lead.
Kansas evened it at one on a sacrifice hit to left. The Jackets got that run back in the bottom of the fourth as Karly Fullem smacked the first home run of the season for Tech over the left field wall to put Georgia Tech ahead, 2-1.
The Jayhawks knotted the score 2-2 in the top of the fifth. In the top of the sixth, a leadoff double by the Jayhawks’ Maddie Stein prefaced two clutch catches my Colleen Darragh in left, but a single through the right side from Shannon McGinley scored the runner and gave Kansas its first lead of the game, 3-2. Kansas tacked on another run with a double to left for the final 4-2 advantage.
Anderson (0-1) suffered the loss throwing a complete game with four runs, three earned on five hits. Alicia Pille (1-0) earned the win with a complete-game effort, allowing four runs on two hits and two walks.
Game 2: LIU Brooklyn 4, Georgia Tech 3
The Blackbirds opened the scoring in the second inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, LIU Brooklyn pushed two runs across the plate on a grounder to left that tailed away from Morgan Taylor.
The Jackets had runners on second and third with two outs in the top of the fourth when LIU pitcher Nicole Archer threw a wild pitch to score Thomas on a heads up base running play and put the Jackets on the board.
Katie Johnsky drew a two-out walk to put runners on the corners and Taylor drilled a line drive to left center for a two-run triple, giving the Jackets a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, LIU evened it up on a sacrifice fly on a diving catch made by Pierannunzi in centerfield and the Blackbirds took the lead, 4-3, on a double to left.
Kleinschmidt (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Archer (0-1) earned the win for the Blackbirds sacrificing three runs on three hits.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GaTechSoftball), Instagram (@GaTechSoftball), Facebook (Georgia Tech Softball) or by visiting www.ramblinwreck.com.
