Jackets Power Past No. 15 Virginia Tech, Advance to ACC Semifinals

DURHAM, N.C. – Georgia Tech softball (32-22, 13-12 ACC) hit three home runs while limiting one of the best offenses in the country to just two runs as the Yellow Jackets defeated No. 15 Virginia Tech (39-12-1, 18-7 ACC) by a final score of 6-2 on Thursday night in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals at Duke Softball Stadium. It was the 300^th victory in the career of head coach Aileen Morales.

Grace Connelly, Jayden Gailey and Tiffany Domingue contributed the long balls as Sophia Voyles and Makayla Coffield combined to hold the Hokies to only three hits and two runs over seven innings. The Yellow Jackets advance into the ACC Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 2012.

Georgia Tech will play No. 2-seeded Florida State (42-13, 19-5 ACC) in the semifinals, tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. on ACC Network.

QUICK HITS: THE TEAM

• The Yellow Jackets advance to the ACC Tournament semifinals for the 16th time in program history and the first since 2012.
• This was GT’s 39^th victory at the ACC Tournament, the second most in conference history.
• Tech has won a game in each of the last five conference tournaments dating back to 2019, the second longest streak in program history (nine straight from 2002-2010).
• Georgia Tech becomes the first No. 6 seed to defeat a No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament since 2015.
• The Jackets now lead the all-time series with Virginia Tech at the ACC Tournament, 4-1.
• This was the first victory over a ranked opponent this season and the first since taking down No. 18 Auburn last year. The Jackets have won six games over ranked opponents under Coach Aileen Morales.
• This was the highest ranked win since taking down No. 11 Kentucky in 2020.
• The win vs. No. 15 Virginia Tech is tied for the highest ranked win away from Mewborn Field in the Morales era (also defeated No. 15 Virginia Tech in 2021) and the best since taking down No. 12 Georgia in 2005.
• This was the 300^th career victory for head coach Aileen Morales and her 187^th at Georgia Tech.
• Tech has now won 13 ACC games this season, tied with 2018 for the most in the Morales era and the most since going 18-2 in 2011.

QUICK HITS: THE BATS

• The Yellow Jackets launched three home runs today, bringing their season total to 89, the 4^th most in program history.
• The three home runs are the second most HRs hit by a Georgia Tech team in an ACC Tournament game and the most since 2006 (four home runs vs. Boston College – May 12, 2006).
• Jayden Gailey got the home run party started, connecting for her fifth long ball of the season in the fourth inning. The Lavonia, Ga. native has now hit two home runs with 5 RBI in her last five games.
• Grace Connelly broke the game open in the sixth inning, when she launched her first home run of the year, a three-run shot to left field, to put the Jackets in front, 5-1.
• It was her seventh hit of the year and her eighth career home run. Connelly doubled her RBI output for the year tonight with six now on the season.
• The Connelly home run brings her career RBI total to 50.
• Tiffany Domingue put the icing on the cake in the top of the seventh when she hit her 12^th home run of the season to put Tech in front, 6-1. It was her 49^th RBI of the year as she looks to break the 50 RBI mark for the first time in her five-year collegiate career.
• Jin Sileo drove in the first run of the game with an RBI groundout. It was her 60^th career RBI and her 16^th of the campaign.
• Sara Beth Allen drew two walks tonight, becoming just the fourth Yellow Jacket in program history to achieve 50 walks in a single season and the first since Tricia Awald drew 52 walks in 2022.

QUICK HITS: THE ARMS

• Sophia Voyles made her first-career ACC Tournament start and her team-leading 17^th start of the season.
• She pitched 4.0 innings, allowing only one run and one hit over that stretch while striking out two.
• Voyles has now struck out 68 opposing batters this season, more than her first two years on the staff combined (61 in 2022 and 2023).
• She collects the win, her ninth of the season. It is her first-career victory against a ranked opponent.
• Makayla Coffield threw the final three innings of the game, surrendering only one run and two hits while striking out a pair.
• She earned the save, her second of the season, becoming the first Tech freshman pitcher to factor into a winning decision in an ACC Tournament game since Blake Neleman earned a win after tossing a no-hitter against Syracuse in 2021.
• The Georgia Tech pitching staff has now earned nine saves this season, the second most in program history.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After a quiet first inning, Madison Dobbins earned the first hit of the game, reaching out to poke an outside pitch into the gap on the left side of the infield for a leadoff single. She would advance to second after Gailey drew a walk, and ended up at third following a perfectly executed SAC bunt from Reese Hunter. Sileo came up next, sending a ground ball to second to allow Dobbins to score, putting Tech in front, 1-0 headed into the bottom of the second. Voyles kept the momentum in the GT dugout by working around a pair of walks to keep the Hokies scoreless. VT got on the board in the bottom of the third after a SAC fly drove in the leadoff hitter. Tech immediately responded in the next half inning as Gailey led off the Jackets by sending an outside pitch over the wall in left field, putting the Jackets back in front, 2-1. Voyles capped off her outing with a strikeout to end the fourth.

Coffield took over the pitching duties in the bottom of the fifth, allowing a leadoff single before sitting the next three batters down for yet another scoreless inning. With the 2-1 lead still intact, Hunter lead off the sixth with a double into the left field gap. Sileo earned a full-count walk, putting runners at the corners for Connelly who smashed her pitch over the fence in left to give the Jackets a 5-1 lead late in the game, completely deflating the Hokie dugout as the Jackets mauled Connelly at home plate.

With Virginia Tech itching to respond, Coffield delivered a master class of pitching in the bottom half of the sixth, keeping the ball out of the comfort zones of VT hitters, striking out the ACC home run leader, Chatfield and sending the game into the seventh with the 5-1 lead undamaged. Domingue tacked on an insurance run when she led off the seventh with a no-doubter to deep left field. Coffield surrendered a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, before forcing a weakly hit ground ball to Domingue at second, who flipped it over the Gailey at first for the final out of the game, sending GT back into the ACC Semifinals.

UP NEXT

Georgia Tech will play No. 2-seeded Florida State (42-13, 19-5 ACC) in the ACC Tournament semifinals, tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. on ACC Network.

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