THE FLATS – Georgia Tech softball (15-4, 0-2 ACC) fell to No. 13 Duke (15-3, 2-0 ACC), 10-3, on Saturday at Mewborn Field. The Yellow Jackets got off to a hot start for the second straight game, taking a 2-0 lead after the first, but were unable to maintain the advantage.
Junior catcher Emma Kauf provided Tech’s biggest bat on the day, going 2-for-4 with a solo shot for an RBI along with two runs scored. Sophomore third baseman Mallorie Black had another successful day at the dish for the Jackets, also going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Kauf led off the bottom of the first with a single up the middle followed by graduate first baseman Tricia Awald’s walk, allowing Black to put the White and Gold on the board with an RBI single. Another walk by freshman right fielder Emma Minghini spelled danger for the Blue Devils, loading the bases as freshman designated player Grace Connelly pushed home Awald for an early, 2-0 Jacket lead after one.
Duke evened the tally with solo homeruns to open the second and third innings, later inching ahead by going yard yet again in the top of the fifth and slapping a two-RBI double in the top of the sixth out to a 5-2 lead.
In the bottom half of the sixth, Tech responded with Kauf’s solo dinger to trim the lead to 5-3, but Duke fired back in the top of the seventh with five more runs. An RBI double got the Blue Devils started, followed by a two-run shot and another pair of runs on a groundout and Jacket error, resulting in a 10-3 lead. The Yellow Jackets went down in order in the bottom of the final frame, handing Duke the 10-3 win.