April 3, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – With the winds gusting up to 30 miles-an-hour, No. 19 Georgia Tech (34-9, 6-2 ACC) managed an Atlantic Coast Conference series split with Virginia (14-19, 3-2 ACC), winning the resumed game from Saturday, 3-0, and dropping the scheduled Sunday game to the Cavaliers, 6-4, at The Park. Senior Jessica Sallinger (18-6) tossed her 12th shutout of the season, striking out 12 and allowing just two hits.
Sallinger, a native of Kennesaw, Ga., stands at 99 career wins and ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Junior Amy Hosier extended her hitting streak to a career-high 10 games, going 5-for-8, with two runs batted in. Sophomore Caitlin Lever finished 3-for-7, with two runs batted in, three runs scored and a stolen base.
Sophomore Sarah Wood (9-2) dropped a decision for the first time in eight starts, working three innings, allowing eight hits, four earned runs and struck out two. Sallinger threw the final three innings for Tech, scattering four hits, and giving up two earned runs, while striking out six.
The game from Saturday resumed with Tech leading UVa, 1-0, in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sallinger retired four straight batters, three via the strikeout, to send the game to the top of the sixth inning.
Hosier doubled to start the sixth and advanced to third base on a fly ball to right field by senior Katie Donovan. Hosier was then thrown out at the plate on an attempted squeeze play as sophomore Sarah Wood bunted it right back to the pitcher and she fired home to record the out. After a walk put runners on first and second with two outs, junior Lauren Schlechte singled through the right side to plate Wood and push the advantage to 2-0.
Hosier struck again for Tech in the seventh inning with a two-out single to right field to plate freshman Aileen Morales who doubled in the left-center field gap as the Jackets led 3-0. Sallinger retired the side in order to lift the Jackets past the Cavaliers.
In the scheduled Sunday contest, Lever hit a sacrifice fly and Hosier singled to left field to drive in a second run for Tech in the top of the third inning to give the Jackets their first lead of the game, 2-0.
UVa’s Jenn Wynn broke a nine inning scoreless drought for the Cavaliers in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI single to right field to score Elea Crockett who singled and stole second base to bring UVa within one, 2-1. With runners at first and second, Amy McKean and Whitney Holstun smashed consecutive doubles to give UVa the lead, 4-2.
Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Jackets’ Sallinger entered the circle to try and stop the Cavaliers’ momentum. With two outs and a base runner of first, UVa’s Sara Larquier used the wind to her advantage as she hit a high fly ball that started in right-center field and was blown all the right to the right field line, dropping just fair, to extend the Cavaliers’ lead to three. Larquier then scored on a wild pitch by Sallinger to push the lead to 6-2.
The Jackets loaded the bases in the top of the fifth inning with two outs on base hits by Lever and Hosier, and a walk by Sallinger, but UVa’s Erin Horn ended the threat with a big strikeout.
The Yellow Jackets pushed two runs across in the top of the sixth inning on a ground out by Morales and an RBI single by Lever to cut the deficit to two runs, 6-4.
In the top of the seventh inning, Tech earned back-to-back walks to start the inning and the runners moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt by Schlechte. Freshman Savannah Brown came in to pinch hit for the Jackets and hit a soft fly ball that was heading to right field, but UVa’s second baseman made a nifty grab over her shoulder to keep the Jackets off the scoreboard. Junior Liz Bartle then came in to pinch hit for Tech’s last chance, but was retired on a ground out in front of home plate.
The Yellow Jackets will conclude its eight-game road swing in Montgomery, Ala., for a non-conference doubleheader at Alabama State on Wednesday, April 6. The games are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
-GT SOFTBALL-
