March 6, 2010
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WOODSTOCK, Ga. – Redshirt senior Jen Yee reached base in all seven of her plate appearances as the No. 12/9 Georgia Tech Softball team (16-2) beat James Madison (7-5), 11-0 in six innings and No. 23 Kentucky (12-5), 6-3, Saturday at the Buzz Classic. Yee went 5-for-5 with five runs scored, two home runs, four RBI, two stolen bases and two walks as she has now hit safely in all 18 games this season for the Yellow Jackets.
Both of Yee’s home runs came in the night cap against the Wildcats. Sophomore Danielle Dike was 3-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI in the first game against James Madison. Freshmen Hope Rush and Caitlin Jordan also added home runs on the day for the Yellow Jackets bringing the team’s season total up to 40 in 18 games. Rush, junior Kristine Priebe and junior Jessica Weaver had two hits apiece for Tech on the day.
Game one was scoreless until the top of the third inning when the Yellow Jackets scored a pair of runs off James Madison starting pitcher Cara Stecher. Yee got it started with a single up the middle extending her hitting streak to 17 games now. After singles by Rush and Priebe loaded the bases, a sac fly by Adkins put Georgia Tech up 1-0. Sophomore Danielle Dike added a RBI singe as well in the inning to give the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 advantage.
The Dukes threatened in the third inning with a pair of two-out singles, their first base runners of the game, but Adkins got out of the jam by inducing a ground ball to Dike at third.
With James Madison relief pitcher Heather Widner out for her second inning of work, the Yellow Jackets broke the game open with a four run fifth to take a 6-0 lead. The highlight of the inning was a three-run home run for Dike, her first round-tripper of the season. Adkins also drove in a run when she reached on a fielder’s choice as Yee crossed the plate for the second time.
In the top of the sixth inning, Rush made it a 9-0 game with a towering three-run home run to left-center field. It was her second home run in as many games and eighth of the season. Later in the inning, Dike went deep for the second time as her two-run blast made it an 11-0 game in favor of the Yellow Jackets.
Adkins worked another easy bottom of the sixth inning to preserve her second shutout of the season. She improved to 4-0 with the win and allowed just the two singles. Adkins walked one and did not strike out a batter as she threw just 80 pitches.
In game two against Kentucky, Yee gave Tech a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with an opposite field solo home run. She was down 0-2 in the count to Kentucky ace Chanda Bell before homering on a full count. It was her team-high 11th round-tripper of the season and extended her hitting streak to 18 games in the process.
The Wildcats came back to tie the game in the top of the third inning. Molly Johnson singled with two outs, stole second base and then scored when Megan Yocke singled just inside the right-field line.
The Wildcats threatened to take their first lead of the game in the fourth as Meagan Aull led off with a single and stole second base. Rush, however, got out of the inning with a strikeout, pop up and fly out to right field which saw sophomore Jessica Sinclair make a diving catch in foul ground. Then in the bottom of the fourth inning, it was Tech’s turn to squander a golden scoring chance. Yee led off with a single and then Rush walked putting two on with no outs. After a Priebe sacrifice moved both runners into scoring position, Bell got freshman Caitlin Jordan to pop up and then struck out Adkins to keep the game tied.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Wildcats scored a pair of two-out runs to go up 3-1. Annie Rowlands got it going with a triple into the left-field corner. A bloop single just out of the reach of Weseman at shortstop made it 2-1 and then a RBI double off the bat of Yocke accounted for the third run.
The lead for Kentucky was short-lived though as the Yellow Jackets quickly re-took the lead in the bottom of the inning on one swing of the bat. Junior Christy Jones got it going with a two-out single and moved to second base when Weseman walked. That set the stage for Yee’s dramatics. Once again, she quickly got down to Bell 0-2 before working the count full. She then served the full-count pitch over the fence in left-center field for a three-run home run which put the Yellow Jackets back on top 4-3. For Yee, it was her second home run of the game and 12th on the season.
Kentucky had a huge threat in the top of the sixth but Rush was able to get out of it. After back-to-back errors, the Wildcats had runners at second and third with just one out. Kara Dill came in as a pinch hitter and hit a ground ball to Weseman at shortstop. Weseman threw home as junior catcher Jessica Weaver blocked the plate and tagged the runner for the second out of the inning. After hitting a batter to load the bases, Rush got a ground out to escape the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Jackets added two insurance runs. Jordan hit a solo home run to make it 5-3 and then a RBI double by Weaver accounted for the final run. She drove home Sinclair who had tripled with two outs.
Rush improved to 8-2 with the win as she was charged with three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks. She struck out two. Bell allowed six earned runs on seven hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts.
The 2010 Buzz Classic at the Twin Creeks Complex in Woodstock continues Sunday as the Yellow Jackets will take on Dartmouth at 11 a.m. and then Mississippi at 1 p.m. Live stats for every Georgia Tech game is available at www.RamblinWreck.com.
