Feb. 20, 2007
ATLANTA – Junior Brittany Barnes hit two home runs in game one and drove in a single-game record seven runs and sophomore Whitney Haller homered twice on the day, going 5-for-8, with seven runs batted in, to lead Georgia Tech (8-1) to a doubleheader sweep over Gardner-Webb (2-9), 12-1 (5) and 9-4, on Tuesday at Glenn Field.
The Yellow Jackets hit a home run for the 12th consecutive game and sent a total of six over the fence in the doubleheader. Junior Whitney Humphreys (4-0) entered the circle in the fourth inning of game two and tossed the final 4.0 innings, striking out eight and allowed just one hit.
Sophomore Tiffany Johnson (1-1) picked up the win in the circle in game one, throwing 4.0 innings, allowing one hit, no runs and struck out five. Sophomore Jennifer Yee went 2-for-3, with three runs scored and one RBI in the nightcap, while juniors Savannah Brown and Aileen Morales each hit home runs.
In game one, the Jackets scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning as Barnes continued to blast home runs, hitting a three-run shot to left-center field, her fourth of the season, to give Tech a 4-0 lead after one inning of play.
Barnes struck again in the bottom of the third inning, smashing a grand slam to drive in four more runs and increase the Jackets’ lead to eight, 8-0. Haller answered with a grand slam of her own later in the inning to plate four more runs and increase the lead to 12 runs.
GWU’s Joanna Ward broke up the shutout in the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run off sophomore Lacey Richardson as the Jackets went on to win the opener, 12-1.
Tech scored 12 runs, on eight hits and had no errors, while GWU scored one run, on three hits and had one error.
In game two, the Runnin’Bulldogs grabbed an early 2-0 lead courtesy of a two-run home run to right field by Emily Sherrill. Brown answered for the Yellow Jackets in the bottom half of the inning with a two-out three-run home run to left field to give Tech the lead, 3-2.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs’ Ward hit her second home run of the day in the top of the second inning, first of this game, to tie the game at 3-3 for Gardner-Webb.
Yee drove in a run and Haller smashed her second dinger of the day, a two-run shot to left field, to give the Jackets a 7-3 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
GWU’s Jessica Williams drove in a run in the top of the third inning with a double off the right field fence to cut Tech’s lead down to three, 7-4.
Senior Caitlin Lever drove in the eighth run of the game for the Yellow Jackets in the bottom of the fourth inning as Tech led 8-4.
Morales homered down the left field line to plate another run in the bottom of the sixth inning for the Jackets as the lead improved to five, 9-4.
Tech scored nine runs, on nine hits and had no errors, while GWU scored four runs, on five hits and committed three errors.
The Yellow Jackets will travel to Columbus, Ga., for the NFCA Leadoff Classic, Feb. 23-25. Tech will face four ranked teams in pool play, taking on No. 16 Baylor and No. 25 DePaul on Friday and No. 23 UMass and No. 19 Florida on Saturday.
-30-
