March 21, 2010
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Freshman Hope Rush threw her first career no-hitter as the No. 12/9 Georgia Tech Softball team (24-4, 2-1 ACC) beat No. 20/16 North Carolina (20-8, 3-3), 5-0, Sunday afternoon. Rush (12-3) walked four batters and struck out four as the Yellow Jackets won their 11th straight ACC series dating back to 2008. She retired 18 of the final 19 batters she faced.
The Yellow Jackets scored all five runs on home runs. In the first inning, redshirt senior Jen Yee led off with a walk and went to second base on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Kate Kuzma. Later in the inning, Rush was intentionally walked setting the stage for sophomore Kelsi Weseman.
Weseman got behind 0-2, but worked the count full before lining the 3-2 pitch over the fence in left field for an opposite field three-run home run. It gave the Yellow Jackets a 3-0 lead and that would be more than enough for Rush.
The score remained 3-0 until the top of the seventh inning when Yee hit her career-high 17th home run of the season off UNC pitcher Amber Johnson. The two-run shot to dead center field gave Tech a 5-0 lead.
Yee scored two runs on the day to go along with a pair of walks and the two-run homer. Weseman was 2-for-4 with the three RBI while junior Christy Jones also added two hits for the Yellow Jackets, her second multi-hit game of the weekend.
Rush walked three Tar Heels early but settled into the game after getting a double-play in the second inning. She went on to retire the next nine Tar Heels before walking Kelli Wheeler to begin the fifth inning. Wheeler did not get past first base as Rush retired the final nine batters of the game, including back-to-back strikeouts of Danielle Spaulding and Wheeler to end the game.
The Yellow Jackets now head straight to Texas for a couple of games over spring break. After an off day Monday, Georgia Tech will play a doubleheader at Houston on Tuesday with game one beginning at 5 p.m. (ET). On Wednesday, Tech will make the short drive to College Station, Texas for a single game at No. 22/20 Texas A&M at 7:30 p.m. (ET). Live audio and stats for all three games will be available at www.RamblinWreck.com.
