Feb. 28, 2018
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech softball (7-6) uses strong first inning to shut out Kennesaw State (4-6) in five for its fifth-straight win and third run-rule victory of the season on Wednesday night with a 9-0 decision. The Jackets are above .500 for the first time since 2014.
Head coach Aileen Morales says:
“Tonight was another great offensive performance for our team. We came out aggressive in the first inning, scoring six runs. Anderson threw a clean game with an impressive pitch count, and the defense was solid. All around a great team win and we will look to carry this momentum into the weekend.”
How it happened:
Tech’s bats were blazing in the first. Freshman Breanna Roper led off the Jackets with a single and sophomore Rebecca Prairie followed suit to put the Jackets on first and second. Junior Katie Krzus saw four balls to load the bases. Sophomore Crosby Huckabay sent a hard hit ball to second and an error by the Owls plated Roper and Prairie as Tech drew first blood. Freshman Cameron Stanford came up to bat with no outs and a wild pitch during her at-bat scored Krzus from third and moved Huckabay over to third, bringing the score to 3-0. Senior Draven Sonnon then singled up the middle to bring Huckabay home. Junior Kaylee Ellebracht reached base on an error, scoring Sonnon from second. All the way through the lineup, Roper came back up to the plate and singled to the pitcher, scoring Hooper for the Jackets’ sixth and final run of the inning.
The Jackets got right back at it in the second, facing a new pitcher in the circle for the Owls. With the 6-0 lead intact, Huckabay walked to reach base and Stanford took a pitch to the body, advancing Huckabay to second and taking her base at first. Sonnon singled to center field, scoring Huckabay, and an error sent Sonnon to second and Stanford to third. Another wild pitch brought home Stanford, pushing Tech’s tally to 8-0.
With the 8-0 edge, Huckabay led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run to center field, adding the final score for the Jackets. It was her second round-tripper of the season.
Senior Emily Anderson got the start in the circle for the Jackets and notched her second shutout win of the season.
The Jackets finished the game with eight hits and no errors. With its third run-rule victory, Tech is one shy of its 2017 total. Sonnon and Huckabay came away with two RBIs each. Huckabay was 1-for-2 on the day and scored three runs on three plate appearances, a career high for the sophomore. Sonnon was 2-for-2.
Up next:
The Jackets host DePaul, UConn and Detroit Mercy this weekend, Friday-Sunday, March 2-4 for the I-75 Challenge. The tournament features doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday starting at 1 p.m. with DePaul and UConn, respectively. The Jackets finish out the weekend with a single game against Detroit Mercy on Sunday at 1 p.m.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter ( @GaTechSoftball ), Facebook ( Georgia Tech Softball ) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com .
