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Jackets Roll Over No. 16 Bulldogs

ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia Tech softball (16-8, 0-6 ACC) stunned No. 16 Georgia (22-4, 2-1 ACC) with a 12-3 mercy-rule victory in five innings on Tuesday night at Turner Softball Stadium, thanks in large part to an eight-run outburst in the top of the second.

The triumph marked the first run-rule win and largest margin of victory for the Jackets over the Bulldogs in the history of the series. Coach Aileen Morales also picked up her first win over Georgia since taking over as the White and Gold’s skipper, with the win marking the first for the Jackets in the series since 2012 and first on the road since 2007.

Junior designated player Caroline Davis and junior catcher Emma Kauf did the bulk of the damage at the plate for the Yellow Jackets on the day with just a pair of swings. Davis hammered her first career grand slam over left field to put the game out of reach as Tech went up 8-0, and Kauf put an exclamation point on the advantage as her three-run dinger extended the White and Gold’s lead to 11-0.

After a scoreless first inning, the Georgia Tech bats unleashed eight runs in the top of the second. With a pair on after a leadoff single by freshman second baseman Grace Connelly and a walk, sophomore shortstop Jin Sileo put the Yellow Jackets on the board with an RBI single up the middle. Freshman left fielder Auburn Dupree then slapped an infield single, allowing a subsequent walk to force home Tech’s second run. Sophomore third baseman Mallorie Black kept the rally going with a two-RBI double, moving the Jackets ahead 4-0. Yet another walk loaded the bases once more, setting the stage for Davis’ deafening blow in a grand slam to give the White and Gold an 8-0 advantage.

Georgia managed to stop the bleeding there in the second, but Tech came back with a knockout blow in the top of the third as a pair of walks set up Kauf’s screamer of a three-RBI bomb over straightaway center. As Tech led 11-0, the Bulldogs clawed back with a two-run home run in the bottom of the third and a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth to cut into the lead and trail 11-3.

The White and Gold added one final security run in the top of the fifth as Kauf added her career-high tying fourth RBI of the day with an infield single. Junior hurler Blake Neleman closed things out in the bottom of the fifth, giving Tech its 12-3, mercy-rule victory in five innings.

Game Notes

  • The Yellow Jackets earned their first win over the Bulldogs during the Aileen Morales era, downing Georgia for the first time since a 2-0 victory on The Flats in 2012.
  • The win marked the White and Gold’s first victory over Georgia on the road since winning 4-1 in 2007, a team that Morales was a member of as a player.
  • Tech earned its largest margin of victory in a win over Georgia in the history of the series, previously topping the Bulldogs by three runs or less.
  • In addition, the triumph was the first by run rule for the Jackets in the series.
  • The Yellow Jackets have now defeated the Bulldogs 11 times in program history. The White and Gold own five road victories through the series.
  • Georgia Tech picked up its first ranked win of the season. Previously, the most recent ranked win for the Jackets came a season ago, downing No. 15 Virginia Tech on the road.
  • Tech now owns 65 ranked wins all time, including six top-10 triumphs, two top-five victories and one top-three win in the history of the program.
  • Davis’ grand slam marked the first of her career, along with her team-leading fifth home run of the season and sixth home run of her career.
  • Kauf’s three-run missile was her third longball of the season, good for second on the squad. In her career, she’s gone yard 19 times.
  • Kauf and Dupree both batted above .500 on the day as Kauf led the way going 2-for-4 with a career-high tying four RBI on the day while Dupree went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and a walk.
  • Neleman held the Bulldog bats in check, tossing five innings allowing three runs on five hits while earning five strikeouts.
  • Across all sports in head-to-head competitions, Georgia Tech is now 9-3 against Georgia throughout the 2021-22 fall and spring seasons.

Up Next

Georgia Tech will travel to Louisville (15-8, 0-0 ACC) for its first ACC road series of the season, squaring off against the Cardinals Friday through Sunday at Ulmer Stadium. Game two on Saturday will be broadcast on ACC Network while games one and three on Friday and Sunday will appear on ACC Network Extra.

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The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets 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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