May 24, 2009
ATLANTA – Danielle Lawrie pitched a three-hit shutout to lead the No. 3 Washington softball team (46-11) to a 7-0 win over Georgia Tech (46-15) in the final game of the Atlanta Super Regional in front of a Mewborn Field record crowd of 1,117 this afternoon. The Huskies now advance to the Women College World Series and will play No, 6 Georgia on Thursday.
Lawrie gave up just three singles, did not walk a batter and struck out eight as she improved to 37-7 on the season. The Huskies hit four home runs, including two off the bat of Lawrie.
The Huskies jumped out on first again as Danielle Lawrie hit a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the first inning putting them up 2-0. It was a towering shot down the left-field line which snuck inside the foul pole and home run number five of the season for the Lawrie.
Washington then made it a 3-0 game in the second inning when Alicia Blake hit a solo home run over the fence in right field. It was the Huskies’ second two-out home run of the day and Blake’s second of the season.
Lawrie then made it a 5-0 game when she hit her second two-run home run of the day in the third inning. It was the third long ball allowed by Georgia Tech freshman pitcher Jessica Coan and the first career multi-home run game for Lawrie.
Sophomore Kristen Adkins relieved Coan after the third inning and held the Huskies off the scoreboard, but the Yellow Jacket bats could not get anything going against Lawrie through the first five innings.
In the top of the sixth, the Huskies added another run when Niki Williams delivered a RBI single up the middle plating pinch runner Bailey Stenson and making it a 6-0 game. A solo home run by Ashlyn Watson in the seventh, Washington’s fourth home run of the day, made it a 7-0 game.
Coan (8-5) took the loss for the Yellow Jackets as she gave up five runs on five hits in three innings of work. She walked one and struck out two. Adkins pitched the final four frames and was charged with two runs on four hits and four walks.
This game concludes the stellar careers for Tech seniors Whitney Haller, Tiffany Johnson and Blair Shimandle. Haller became just the second Tech player to earn All-ACC honors four times in her career. She leaves Georgia Tech with her name all over the school and ACC record books including first in home runs and RBI.
Johnson and Shimandle each earned All-ACC honors for the first time in their careers as seniors. Johnson, who did not have a career extra-base hit entering 2009, ranks among the ACC’s top five in most offensive categories including doubles, runs scored, home runs and RBI. She battled through several injuries throughout her Tech career, but still managed to be one of the top pitchers in the ACC when healthy.
Shimandle, meanwhile, will leave Tech hitting over .300 in each of her four seasons. She became one of the top defensive outfielders in the ACC and made just one error over her last 155 career games. She made a living making spectacular catches in the outfield and running into walls, but saved her best for the Super Regionals. Shimandle made two highlight-reel catches in Saturday’s game one that ran over and over again on ESPN throughout the weekend. One of her catches was the No. 5 play on SportsCenter’s top 10 Saturday night.
