March 4, 2006
Austin Peay Box Score
UConn Box Score
MARIETTA, Ga. – Freshman Whitney Haller homered in consecutive at bats and smacked three home runs on the afternoon, finishing 5-for-6, with five runs batted in and junior Sarah Wood (3-1) recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts, finishing with two-hit shutout in the nightcap to lead Georgia Tech (13-4) to wins over Austin Peay (4-5-1), 14-6 (6), and Connecticut (1-2), 4-0, on Saturday at the Atlanta Marriott Buzz Classic at Al Bishop Softball Complex.
Freshman Blair Shimandle went 5-for-7, with four RBIs and a home run on the day, while senior Christine Sheridan went 2-for-3 in game two, driving in two runs for the Yellow Jackets.
Sophomore Whitney Humphreys (8-1) earned the win in relief, throwing the final 3.2 innings, allowing one run and struck out five.
In game one against Austin Peay, Haller put Tech ahead in the bottom of the first inning with her team-leading fifth home run of the season, a two-run blast to left-center field as the Jackets led 2-0.
Sophomore Stephanie Butler singled up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the second inning to plate junior Kristina Hull who singled and stole second as Tech led 3-0.
APSU’s Brienna Venable hit a three-run hone run in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 3-3. Ami Bush then homered to right field after a base hit to put the Lady Govs in front by two, 5-3.
Haller connected on her second home run of the game, sixth of the season, to center field in the bottom of the third inning to bring the Yellow Jackets within one, 5-4.
Hull hit her first home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning to drive in two runs for the Jackets as Tech regained the lead, 6-5.
Bush posted her second home run of the game in the top of the fifth inning, a solo shot to center field, to tie the game at 6-6.
The Rambling Wreck took a two-run lead in the bottom half of the fifth inning as junior Caitlin Lever drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and Shimandle singled down the left field line to plate another run.
Haller doubled down the line in the bottom of the sixth inning to drive in a run and senior Amy Hosier singled up the middle with two outs to plate two more runs to increase Tech’s lead to five, 11-6. Shimandle hit a walk-off three-run home run, first of her collegiate career, to provide Tech with an eight-run rule victory, 14-6, in six innings.
Tech scored 14 runs, on 14 hits and had no errors, while Austin Peay scored six runs, on eight hits and had no errors.
In game two against UConn, Tech took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the third inning on a double by Sheridan to put the Jackets ahead 1-0.
The Jackets played small ball in the bottom of the fifth inning as Butler led off with a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Aileen Morales and scored on a single by Sheridan as Tech led 2-0. Haller then homered for the third time on the day, a two-run blast, to push the Jackets ahead by four, 4-0.
Tech scored four runs, on seven hits and had no errors, while UConn had no runs, on two hits and no errors.
Tech will be the No. 4 seed in bracket play and will play the No. 13 seed at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night. For a complete list of teams and schedule information, go to Tournament Central.
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