Minghini Walks Off for Historic Victory

THE FLATS – Emma Minghini delivered a walk-off home run to cap off a four-run bottom of the 7^th as No. 25 Georgia Tech softball (19-8, 7-0 ACC) came from behind to defeat Notre Dame (14-10, 0-4 ACC) and improve to 7-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play for the first time in program history. The Yellow Jackets erased a 5-3 deficit in the bottom of the seventh thanks to home runs from Madison Dobbins and Minghini as Tech walked off for its 15^th straight victory at Mewborn Field.

QUICK HITS: THE TEAM

• Tech has set a program record for the best start to ACC play with a 7-0 record.
• The Jackets have won 15 consecutive games at home dating back to Feb. 11, the longest home winning streak since winning 17-straight between the end of the 2021 season and start of 2022.
• The 15-game home winning streak is tied for the fourth longest active home winning streak in Division I.
• The 7-game conference winning streak is tied for the second longest active conference win streak by a Power 5 team, behind only No. 1 Oklahoma.
• Tech has come from behind in 12 of its 19 victories so far, defeating opponents by an average margin of 5.1 runs, with five come-from-behind wins ending via run-rule.
• Today’s walk-off was the eighth of the season and just the second walk-off that has not ended in a run-rule victory (also vs. Mercer).
• This was the sixth walk-off home run of the season as Minghini joins Dobbins (twice), Mallorie Black, Gracyn Tucker and Tiffany Domingue in the exclusive club.
• The Jackets hit four home runs today, thanks to two each from Dobbins and Minghini. This is the third four-HR game for Tech this season, the most since 2019.
• Tech has won seven ACC games in a row, the longest conference winning streak since 2012 (10 games).
• The White & Gold have now hit 52 home runs this season, the most among Power 5 teams and more home runs than either of the past two full seasons.

QUICK HITS: THE BATS

• Minghini delivered a perfect night at the plate, going 2 for 2 with two HRs and two walks – her first multi-HR game as a Yellow Jacket.
• Minghini has now hits three home runs this season, a new career-best.
• Her three RBI ties her season-best achieved after hitting a three-run game-tying home run against Minnesota earlier this year.
• Dobbins delivered her fourth multi-HR game of the season, connecting for a pair of two-run homers in the first and seventh innings.
• Dobbins becomes the first player in the ACC to reach double-digit home runs, finishing with 11 for the season – the most in the conference.
• Her four RBI performance improves her season total to 38 – the most in the ACC
• The Dacula native has hit 4+ RBI in four games this year, tied for the most 4+ RBI games by a Jacket in a single season since 2012.
• Her 38 RBI is tied with GT Hall of Famer Jen Yee for the most RBI by a Yellow Jacket through the first 27 games since 2007.
• Mallorie Black lined a double into the gap in the third inning, her 11^th double of the season, tied for the most in the ACC.
• The hit extended Black’s in-base streak to 25 games, tied for the longest streak since 2014.
• Tiffany Domingue delivered two hits tonight, her seventh multi-hit game of the season.
• Leadoff hitter Ella Edgmon scored twice tonight. She has scored multiple runs in six of seven conference games this year and leads the ACC with 16 runs scored.
• Edgmon remains the only player in the ACC with double-digit runs scored so far in conference play, scoring an average of 2.29 runs/game.

QUICK HITS: THE ARMS

• Sophia Voyles made her team-leading ninth start of the season, pitching the first four innings of the game.
• She recorded two strikeouts in the game, bringing her season total to 35, just two shy of her career high, set last season.
• Kinsey Norton came out of the bullpen for the final three innings of work.
• She saw her home scoreless innings streak come to an end in the sixth inning. Norton had pitched 8.1 scoreless innings in a row at Mewborn prior to the sixth.
• Norton comes away with the win, her fifth of the year. She is now tied with Blake Neleman for the most wins on the staff.
• The Woodstock native gave up her first earned run of ACC play today. She now owns a 0.50 ERA across 12.00 innings of ACC play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Jackets set the tone in the first inning, with Reese Hunter firing a rope to catch the Notre Dame runner trying to steal second before Voyles struck out the Irish hitter just one pitch later for a clean inning of work. In the bottom of the inning, Edgmon walked on four pitches before Dobbins laced her first homer of the day off the scoreboard in left field to put Tech in front, 2-0. Voyles worked around a pair of two-out walks in the top of the second before Minghini added another run with a solo shot to the opposite field, putting GT in front, 3-0, after two innings.

Notre Dame tied the game with a three-run homer in the top of the third. Those would be the last runs scored for a while as both pitching staffs did a great job of keeping hitters off balance. Tech managed to get a runner in scoring position in the third and fourth innings but couldn’t break the tie. That break came in the sixth as the Irish scratched across two runs in the top of the sixth off a double, an error and a wild pitch. Tech seemed poised to respond in the sixth inning, loading the bases with only one out, but a strikeout and a pop up back to the pitcher dashed the home crowds hopes as Tech headed to the seventh inning still two runs away.

Notre Dame earned a one-out single in the top of the seventh, only for Norton to deliver a perfect double-play ground ball off the very next batter. The grounder went straight to Domingue at second base, who tagged the runner out headed to second before flipping it over to Minghini at first for the inning ending double play.

Edgmon led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single to the left side before Dobbins unleashed a moonshot down the left field line for a majestic game-tying two-run blast. That homer finally chased the Notre Dame starter out of the game. The Irish reliever worked a couple of quick outs before going toe-to-toe with Domingue. Domingue battled for yet another incredibly competitive 7^th inning at bat, fouling off five balls in a row, just two days after a 13-pitch at bat in the 7^th at UGA, before connecting with a single up the middle. Minghini came up next, taking a borderline strike to fall behind 0-2, before taking two balls and then smashing a walk-off two-run blast to right to send the fans home happy.

UP NEXT­­
The Jackets continue their weekend series against Notre Dame tomorrow, at 5 p.m. from Mewborn Field. The game will be streamed live on ACCNX.

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