Hunter Hits Walk Off for Jackets’ 30th Win

THE FLATS – Reese Hunter hit a three-run walk off home run in the seventh inning to vault Georgia Tech softball (30-20, 11-10 ACC) over Kennesaw State (14-33) by a final score of 10-7 on Tuesday night at Mewborn Field. The Yellow Jacket offense delivered three home runs and Blake Neleman kept the Owls scoreless for the final three innings to notch their 30^th win of the season, in come-from-behind fashion.

QUICK HITS: THE TEAM

• The Yellow Jackets have won 30 games for the 19th time in program history.
• This is the third 30-win season under Aileen Morales and first since the 2022 season.
• The Jackets finish the 2024 regular season with a 4-1 record against in-state opponents and now lead the all-time series with Kennesaw St. 26-10, including a 10-3 record in the Morales Era.
• This was the 10^th walk off victory of the season and the first off the bat of Reese Hunter.
• Tech’s offense launched three home runs today, bringing the season total to 85, more than each of the last two seasons combined (83).
• The Jackets have now hit three or more home runs in 16 games this season, tied with the 2011 team for the second-most in program history.
• This was the 16^th come from behind win of the season. The Jackets have won those 16 games by an average margin of 4.4 runs.
• The offense has now scored 327 runs this year while driving in 307 RBI, both totals are sixth most in program history.

QUICK HITS: THE BATS

• Mallorie Black set a new career best with three extra base hits tonight, connecting for two doubles and a home run while driving in three and scoring a career-best three runs.
• Her home run was her 19^th of the season and 29^th of her career. She has hit the 7^th most home runs in a single season in program history.
• The Cumming, Ga. native brings her season RBI total to 60, tied for the 7^th most in a season in program history.
• Black becomes the ninth Jacket to ever achieve a 60 RBI campaign and the first since Kelsi Weseman in 2011. Black is the fifth-fastest batter in Division I to achieve 60 RBI in 2024.
• Reese Hunter delivered her second-career walk-off home run in the seventh inning. It was her ninth home run of the season and 12^th of her career.
• Hunter, once again, tied her career high with three RBI tonight. This was her third time driving in three runs in a game this year, doing so against Notre Dame (March 16) and last Friday at Virginia Tech (April 19).
• Jayden Gailey posted her fourth home run of the season in the second inning.
• Sara Beth Allen drew a walk to extend her on-base streak to 19 games, tied for the longest streak of her career.
• Madison Dobbins secured her 53^rd RBI of the season tonight, the second most on the team.

QUICK HITS: THE ARMS

• Jaidyn Studebaker made her fourth-career start, pitching the first three innings of the game and allowing only two earned runs.
• She struck out three batters, the second-most she’s struck out in a game over her career. She has 20 strikeouts in 27.1 innings this year.
• Blake Neleman ended KSU’s momentum at the plate, taking over with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth inning, striking out the first batter she saw on three pitches before getting the Jackets out of the inning with a pop up in foul territory.
• Neleman held KSU scoreless in her 3.2 innings, striking out two and allowing only one hit.
• She earned her 54^th career victory, the fifth most in program history.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Kennesaw St. opened the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the first. The Jackets were quick to respond in the home half with Tiffany Domingue battling back to work a walk off a 1-2 count before scampering home off Black’s first double of the day. Black would come home to score off an 0-2 single from Dobbins to put the Jackets in front, 2-1 after the first. Studebaker kept the Owls off the board after securing a strikeout with runners on second and third. The momentum stayed with Tech in the bottom of the second, starting with a solo home run from Gailey. The next three Jackets reached base thanks to two walks and a bunt single from Sileo. Hunter made it a 4-1 lead when she scored on a passed ball before Domingue brought Sileo home with a SAC fly and the inning came to an end with Tech in front, 5-1.

The Owls scored an unearned run in the top of the third as a pair of Tech errors led to a run against. The fourth inning was one to forget as Tech pitching walked three and hit two more with pitches as KSU scored five runs to take a 7-5 lead. Neleman did a great job of securing the final two outs with the bases loaded, giving Tech a chance to come back, only down two runs. Those two runs came in the fifth as Black sent an outside pitch over the wall in right center to bring home Domingue, who had doubled in the prior at bat. The game would stay tied, 7-7, into the bottom of the seventh, thanks to solid pitching from Neleman. In the bottom of the seventh, Black got things started with her second double. She was joined on base by Abby Hughes, who drew a walk off a full count, before Reese Hunter ended the game with a two-out moon shot home run, just clearing the wall in left field for the Jackets’ second consecutive walk off victory at home.

UP NEXT

The Jackets will play the last three games of the regular season when they host Virginia for a three-game series beginning on Friday, April 26, at 6 pm on Mewborn Field.

Alexander-Tharpe Fund

The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.

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