May 8, 2014
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The No. 1 seed and fourth-ranked Florida State Seminoles (48-6) eliminated the eighth-seeded Georgia Tech softball team (23-24) from the 2014 ACC Tournament with an 11-5 victory Thursday afternoon at Maryland Softball Stadium.
“We did battle. We do have a lot of fight in us,” head coach Shelly Hoerner said. “We weren’t going to give up. We have to get better and you get better on every play. I’m proud of the girls to have not given up.
“We’ve got a lot of things for next season. We gave up too many walks; both teams really gave up a lot of walks. We’ve got to get better in a lot of areas in order for us to compete at the next level.”
Senior Alysha Rudnik was 2-for-3 with two runs and a home run, junior Katie Johnsky went 1-for-2 with two runs and two walks, and junior Chelsie Thomas drew three walks.
Both teams combined for 19 walks, 17 hits and 17 runners left on base in the almost three-hour ball game. The Seminoles scored all 11 runs in the first three innings and the Yellow Jackets held Florida State scoreless for the remainder of the game.
The Seminoles drew three-straight walks to kick off the home half of the opening inning. Florida State scored its first two runs on Georgia Tech miscues, and a walk with the bases loaded plated the third.
Georgia Tech got on the board in the top of the second inning as Johnsky and Samantha Pierannunzi drew back-to-back walks. Chelsie Thomas drew a full-count walk to load the bases with one out, marking the first time an opposing runner had reached third base against Florida State in 18.1 innings.
With the bases loaded and two outs, first team All-ACC selection Maddie Lionberger drew a full-count walk to bring in Tech’s first run.
Florida State added four runs in the bottom of the second sparked by a double drilled down the left field line from Courtney Senas and a two-run bomb from 2014 ACC Player of the Year Maddie O’Brien.
The Jackets chipped away at FSU’s 7-1 lead with a three spot in the top of the third. Hayley Downs singled and Rudnik was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Downs scored courtesy of a single by Johnsky to deep right and Rudnik scored on a single through the right side from Pierannunzi inducing an FSU pitching change – Jessica Burroughs for 2014 ACC Pitcher of the Year Lacey Waldrop.
With two on and no outs, Karly Fullem’s groundout to the pitcher scored Johnsky and Tech pulled within three runs, 7-4.
The Seminoles gained a seven-run lead, 11-4, in the third inning highlighted by O’Brien’s three-run home run – her second round-tripper of the game.
Rudnik roped her team-leading 11th home run in the top of the fourth inning, making it an 11-5 game.
Georgia Tech starter Kylie Kleinschmidt’s 4.1 innings pitched sandwiched Fullem’s 1.2 innings of work in the circle. Kleinschmidt (15-13) was on the hook for the loss, allowing three runs on two hits.
FSU reliever Jessica Burroughs (17-1) absorbed the victory, pitching 5-0 innings with one run on four hits.
