April 16, 2005
ATLANTA – Senior Jessica Sallinger (21-6) tossed her 14th shutout of the season in the nightcap and freshman Savannah Brown and sophomore Daisy Paez hit two home runs, driving in five runs apiece in the doubleheader, to lead No. 19 Georgia Tech (40-9) to a sweep over UAB (19-31), 8-4 and 9-0 (5), at Glenn Field on Saturday afternoon.
Freshman Aileen Morales tied a Tech single-game record with three stolen bases in the opener, finishing 3-for-3 at the plate, and added another stolen base in game two to push her season total to 39. Brown finished the day 4-for-5, with two home runs in the nightcap, tying a single-game school record, while Paez went 3-for-7, with two dingers.
Sophomore Sarah Wood (12-2) won her 10th decision in 11 starts in game one, striking out six, and freshman Whitney Humphreys tallied her second save of the season, pitching the final three innings, allowing one run.
The Yellow Jackets wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in game one as Morales led off with a single and stole her 36th base of the season and sophomore Caitlin Lever doubled to right-center field to plate Morales in the bottom of the first inning. The Jackets scored two more runs in the inning as Wood drove in Lever and junior Amy Hosier came around to score on the same play on a throwing error by the UAB first baseman to give Tech a 3-0 lead after one inning of play.
The Blazers’ Leigh Walker connected on a two-run home run in the top of the second inning to bring UAB within one, 3-2. Sophomore Daisy Paez hit her first home run as a Yellow Jacket in the bottom of the third inning to extend Tech’s lead to 4-2.
UAB’s Nicole Whitlock homered to leadoff the top of the fifth inning to cut Tech’s lead to one for the second time in the game, 4-3. That closed the book on Wood as she threw four innings, allowing five hits, three runs and struck out six. Humphreys entered the circle for Tech with no outs and got out of the inning for the Jackets.
Hosier led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a double to right-center field and advanced to third on a single by Humphreys as Tech had runners at the corners with one out. Brown drove in Hosier with a single off the right field fence, but was thrown out at second base for the second out of the inning. Senior Liz Bartle came in to pinch hit for freshman Kacey Ivey and delivered a two-out RBI single to right field to score senior Katie Donovan who drew a walk as Tech led 7-3 after five innings.
Paez drove in her second run of the game for the Jackets in the bottom of the sixth inning to plate Morales who singled and stole second base to increase the lead to five, 8-3.
UAB’s Chelsea McCall led off the seventh inning with a double to right field and Lindsay Stanley followed with an RBI triple to right field to bring the Blazers within four, 8-4. Humphreys retired the next three batters to record her second save of the season.
In game two, Paez drove in two runs and Brown smacked a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning as the Jackets jumped out in front 5-0.
Brown tied a Tech single-game record with her second home run of the game, fifth of the season, in the bottom of the third inning with a towering shot over the left field fence. Ivey delivered a two-out double to shallow left field to plate Donovan who reached on an error by the Blazers’ second baseman as Tech led by seven.
Paez belted her second home run of the day in the bottom of the fourth inning to drive in two runs to give the Jackets a 9-0 lead and enforce the eight-run rule after five innings of play.
The Yellow Jackets will travel to Athens, Ga., on Tuesday, April 19, for a makeup game with No. 11 Georgia. The Bulldogs and Jackets will play a single non-conference game at 6 p.m. at the UGA Softball Complex.
-GT SOFTBALL-
