Feb. 14, 2010
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Redshirt senior Jen Yee, junior Christy Jones and sophomore Kelsi Weseman combined to go 7-for-7 with six runs scored and six RBI as the Georgia Tech Softball Team (4-0) completed a perfect opening weekend by beating Florida Gulf Coast (2-2), 10-5, in the final game of the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament. The Yellow Jackets overcame five errors in the game for the win. They had come into the game having not allowed a run or committed an error in the three previous games.
Yee tied a career-high with four runs scored as she went 2-for-2 with a double, two RBI and two walks. Weseman went 3-for-3 with a double, triple, sacrifice and four RBI while Jones was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a sacrifice. Junior Kristen Adkins made her pitching debut of the season and picked up the win. She allowed five runs (only one was earned) on seven hits in 5.1 innings. She walked two and struck out two. Sophomore Jessica Coan threw the final 1.2 innings and struck out all five batters she faced.
After Adkins got the first two outs of the game quickly, a walk and back-to-back singles put FGCU up 1-0. The RBI single off the bat of Mariah Fernandez snapped a string of 19.2 straight innings Tech pitchers began the season without allowing a run.
Georgia Tech’s first deficit of the season was short-lived, however, as Adkins helped herself in the bottom of the inning with a two-out, two-run double to the alley in left-center that plates a pair of runners and put the Jackets up 2-1. Redshirt senior Jen Yee and sophomore Shannon Bear scored on the play. Yee led off with a four-pitch walk, while Bear was running for freshman Hope Rush who had singled.
Then Yellow Jackets continued their torrid hitting and scored three more times in the second inning to open up a 5-1 advantage. With one out, junior Jessica Weaver drew a walk and then junior Christy Jones legged out a bunt single. A RBI double off the bat of Yee plated freshman pinch runner Kelly Delashmit and then sophomore Kelsi Weseman ripped a two-run triple into the right field corner for the fourth and fifth Tech runs.
Florida Gulf Coast got a run back in the top of the fourth inning, but it could have been a lot worse. With a run already in, the Eagles had runners at first and third with one out and the bases loaded with two outs but Adkins was able to work out of the jam.
The Jackets came back in the bottom of the fourth inning with two more runs to take a 7-2 lead. With the bases loaded and one out Rush hit a sacrifice fly and then sophomore Jessica Sinclair added a RBI single to round out the scoring.
Three more Tech errors and a wild pitch allowed the Eagles to score three times in the fifth inning as they got within two runs at 7-5. It could have been worse, but Adkins stranded a runner at third base with one out.
The Yellow Jackets answered with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Senior Kelly Eppinger started the two-out rally by working a walk and then went to second base on a bunt single by Jones. A RBI single by Yee made it 8-5 and then Weseman had a two-run double off the top of the fence in right field to make it 10-5.
In the top of the sixth, Florida Gulf Coast had runners at the corners and one out as it looked to get back in the game. Sophomore Jessica Coan came into the game in relief of Adkins and struck out the next two batters to leave the runners on.
The Yellow Jackets will now head out west for the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, Feb. 19-21, in Las Vegas, Nev. While in Vegas, Georgia Tech will face Northwestern, BYU, Hawaii, Long Beach State and California. Live stats and audio will be available for every game in Las Vegas at www.RamblinWreck.com.
