ATLANTA (April 11) – Lindsay Wood blasted a lead-off home run in the bottom of the seventh, and Anne Knobbe hit the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the eighth as Georgia Tech (24-23, 3-3) defeated the Auburn Tigers (26-23, 4-14) softball team, 4-3 Tuesday afternoon (4/11) at Glenn Field. The win marked the ninth time the Jackets have defeated an opponent in their last at-bat this season.
Erin Hawley gave the Yellow Jackets an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as she scored on an error by second baseman Jennifer Hammock. The Tigers would put a run on the board in the top of the third as Mary Petrie drove-in Marcella Passarelli to tie the game at one a-piece.
In the top of the fifth Auburn would extend their lead to 3-1 as they added two runs in the top of the fifth. Ashley Moore doubled to lead off the inning and later scored on a wild pitch and Jan Kraemer hit a solo-shot to center field for the Tigers’ second run. The Jackets scored a run in the bottom of the sixth and seventh as leftfielder Heather Sumrow began the sixth with a single and scored on a one-out single by rightfielder Kori Jacobson, and Wood homered in the bottom of the seventh.
With the game in extra innings, Auburn had runners on second and third with one out, but the Jackets defense did not allow a ball out of the infield and held the Tigers scoreless. In the bottom of the eighth, Lauren Schwartz was placed on second, and Sumrow reached first-base on a walk, followed by an Erin Hawley infield single to load the bases for Knobbe. Knobbe drove in her 47th RBI on the season to lead the Jackets to victory.
Jamie Smith received the win for Tech as she entered the game in the top of the third and pitched six innings. She allowed two runs on four hits and struck out two as her record improves to 13-10.
Jennifer Lofton received the loss for the Tigers and falls to 11-12 on the year. Georgia Tech returns to action when they travel to Alabama to face Troy State University (23-25) in a doubleheader at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
