April 2, 2014
ATHENS, Ga. – A four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning handed the No. 15 Georgia Bulldogs (31-5) a 9-7 victory against Georgia Tech (19-12) Wednesday at Jack Turner Stadium. The contest featured four lead changes and the Yellow Jackets out-hit the Bulldogs, 12-9.
Junior Chelsie Thomas went 3-for-3 with three RBI to lead Georgia Tech. Senior Alysha Rudnik was 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and a home run, while senior Hayley Downs hit 2-for-3 with a pair of runs.
“It was a great game and an entertaining game,” head coach Shelly Hoerner said. “I thought we hit the ball well today. Unfortunately, our pitching gave up too many base runners and too many walks, and that hurt us. But I thought we competed really well and I’m proud of the team for that.”
The Yellow Jackets took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but Georgia Tech’s pitching faltered, giving up five walks. The Bulldogs capitalized with base runners in scoring position and scored four runs to regain the lead, 9-7.
Tech’s Kylie Kleinschmidt (12-7) suffered the loss, tossing 3.1 innings with six runs on six hits. Georgia’s Chelsea Wilkinson (15-2) earned the win, surrendering two runs on five hits in five innings of work.
Georgia got on the board first with two runs in the opening stanza. The Jackets cut the lead to one, 2-1, as Kanani Cabrales reached on a Georgia error to kick off the second inning and Chelsie Thomas slapped over the shallow infielders’ heads to bring her in.
The Jackets took the lead in the third inning. Downs led off the third with a single and Rudnik followed with a double off the leftfield wall. Cabrales singles to left, scoring Downs, and Katie Johnsky singled up the middle on the ensuing at bat to plate Rudnik.
The lead change induced a Georgia pitching change and Chelsea Wilkinson entered the game to take over for Geri Ann Glasco.
With two outs in the third, Chelsie Thomas ripped a two-RBI single up the middle, scoring Cabrales and Johnsky to extend Georgia Tech’s lead, 5-2.
Georgia countered and tied it up, 5-5, with three runs in the bottom of the third.
The score remained knotted for two innings until Rudnik blasted her eighth home run of the season, a two-run bomb over the scoreboard in the sixth inning, scoring Downs to break the 5-5 tie and give Georgia Tech a 7-5 lead.
The Jackets are back in action when they host a three-game series against Virginia Tech this weekend. Saturday’s doubleheader begins at 1 p.m., while Sunday’s single game is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. and will be Tech’s Alumni Day.
