April 8, 2009
ATHENS, Ga. – Trailing 7-1 entering the seventh inning, the No. 22 Georgia Tech softball team (28-11) scored four runs and had the tying run at the plate as No. 7 Georgia (26-7) held on for the 7-5 win in front of 1,095 fans Wednesday evening at the UGA Softball Stadium. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Yellow Jackets against Georgia, but they have still won six of the last eight in the series.
The Yellow Jackets trailed by a score of 7-1 heading into the seventh inning, but did not go down without a fight. Freshman Kate Kuzma drew a walk to lead off the inning and then sophomore Caroline Hilton was hit on the 13th pitch in her at bat putting two on with no outs. Freshman Jessica Sinclair made it a 7-2 game with a RBI single, but UGA pitcher Christie Hamilton recorded the next two outs. The second out resulted in a run on a ground out off the bat of redshirt junior Jen Yee.
With a runner at third and two outs, senior Blair Shimandle kept the rally going with a RBI single and then a double to the right-center field gap by freshman Kelsi Weseman made it a 7-5 game. Senior Whitney Haller came up as the tying run, but Hamilton struck her out to end the game.
Shimandle made two more spectacular catches in center field, including one where she crashed into the wall and still hung onto the ball. Weseman was 2-for-4 with a RBI for the Jackets and raised her team-high batting average to .429 on the season.
Tech jumped out on top with a run in the first inning. Weseman singled up the middle with two outs and was driven home by Haller, who doubled off the top of the right field fence.
UGA came back, however, to score four runs on just one hit. Senior Tiffany Johnson started in the circle, but walked the first two batters on eight pitches. A double by Brianna Hesson tied the game at one and then an error and another walk was the end of the day for Johnson.
Freshman Jessica Coan came in and inherited a bases loaded and nobody out jam and was able to minimize the damage. She got out of the inning with just two more runs scoring and kept the Jackets in the game.
Coan gave up two more runs in the third inning on a pair of wild pitches with the bases loaded. UGA’s seventh run scored in the fifth on a solo home run by Brittney Hubbard.
Johnson (11-2) took the loss as she faced five batters and allowed the all to reach base. She was charged for four runs (three earned) on one hit and three walks. Coan pitched six innings as she gave up three earned runs on five hits and five walks.
Hamilton (13-5) got the win as she pitched the final five innings and gave up four earned runs on five hits and two walks. Sarah McCloud pitched the first two frames and allowed one earned run on two hits and a walk. Hamilton had all four of the Jackets’ strikeouts.
The Yellow Jackets will now host NC State in a three-game series this weekend. There will be a doubleheader Friday night beginning at 5 p.m. and then the series finale is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. Live audio and stats of all three games is available at www.ramblinwreck.com. Saturday’s game will be available on ACC Select for a small fee.
