Feb. 20, 2005
PANTHERSVILLE, Ga. – Senior Jessica Sallinger (8-0) threw a complete-game four-hitter in the opener and freshman Whitney Humphreys (3-0) tossed a complete-game shutout in the nightcap to lead No. 16 Georgia Tech (13-0) over Georgia State (3-4), 3-1, and Evansville (3-6), 1-0, on Sunday afternoon at Bob Heck Field. Tech claims the Lady Panther Invitational title for the second straight year and ties school record with 13th straight win (1991).
Sallinger moved into second place all-time in the Atlantic Coast Conference with her 89th career victory. The Kennesaw, Ga., native already holds the ACC career strikeouts record with 1,098. Humphreys, a native of Shady Spring, W. Va., tallied her first collegiate complete-game shutout in her first collegiate start for the Jackets.
In the game one against Georgia State, the Jackets rallied in the seventh inning for the second straight day with two runs in the top half of the inning and held the Lady Panthers scoreless in the bottom half to pick up the victory.
Senior Kirin Kumar got the inning started for the Jackets with a one out double to left-center field and was relieved at second base in favor of a pinch runner. After an infield single by freshman Stephanie Butler, Tech jumped in front on a throwing error by the GSU catcher to grab a 2-1 lead. Freshman Aileen Morales then hit a sacrifice run to plate Butler and vault the Rambling Wreck into the championship game of the tournament.
Morales finished 1-for-3, with a stolen base (10) and drove in a run to lead the Jackets offensively. Sophomore Caitlin Lever finished 1-for-2, with a walk, while Kumar went 1-for-3, with a double.
Tech scored three runs, on five hits and no errors, while GSU scored one run, on four hits and committed three errors.
In game two, Evansville stranded runners at second base in the top of the third and fourth innings with one out as Humphreys pitched her way out of the jam in each inning, with some nifty defense by Lever who made a spectacular grab in right-center field to keep the Purple Aces from scoring in the fourth inning.
The Jackets broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth inning on a triple off the bat of senior Liz Bartle to plate junior Amy Hosier who reached on a single to right field.
The Purples Aces threatened in the top of the sixth inning but Lever came up with another strong defensive play for the Yellow Jackets with a bullet throw to home plate to nail Evansville’s Cassey Kemna who reached on a single up the middle as Tech cling to its one-run lead.
Humphreys retired the side on 10 pitches in the seventh inning. UE’s Danny Murphy (2-3) was the hard luck loser for the Purple Aces, going the distance, allowing three hits in the game.
Tech scored one run, on three hits and had no errors, while Evansville had no runs, on five hits and no errors. Junior Christine Sheridan, Bartle and Hosier each had hits for the Yellow Jackets.
The Yellow Jackets will travel to Columbus, Ga., for the Leadoff Classic, Feb. 25-27. The 16th-ranked Jackets will face No. 8 Michigan on Friday at 5 p.m. and Southern Illinois at 7:30 p.m. at the South Commons Softball Complex.
-GT SOFTBALL-
