March 5, 2005
SLU Box Score
Mercer Box Score
MARIETTA, Ga. – The 19th-ranked Yellow Jackets clubbed five home runs to post two wins over Saint Louis, 10-0 (5), and Mercer, 8-0 (6), at the Buzz Classic on Saturday afternoon at Al Bishop Softball Complex. Junior Christine Sheridan slugged two home runs on the day and drove in a team-high five runs, finishing 4-for-6 for the two games. Tech will be the No. 1 seed after allowing just one run in pool play.
Against Saint Louis, sophomore Sarah Wood (3-1) finished with her second complete-game shutout, allowing two hits and striking out two in the game. Freshman Aileen Morales stole her 12th and 13th bases and finished 1-for-1. Sheridan drove in three runs and ended the game 2-for-3.
Morales led off the game with a base hit to left field and stole second and third base on consecutive pitches to give Tech a runner on third with no outs. After a pop out, Sheridan homered to left-center field to give the Jackets an early 2-0 lead.
Junior Lauren Schlechte added the second two-run homer in the game for the Jackets in the top of the second inning with her first long ball of the season to plate senior Liz Bartle who reached on a single up the middle to increase the lead to four runs.
Freshman Stephanie Butler smacked a two-out double in the top of the fourth inning and sophomore Kristina Hull drove her in with a single to left field as Tech increased its lead to five. Sophomore Caitlin Lever and Sheridan followed with consecutive RBI singles to push the advantage to 7-0 and junior Amy Hosier then sent her second career home run over the left-center field fence for a three-run shot to put the Yellow Jackets on top by a score of 10-0.
SLU’s Adrienne May broke up Wood’s no-hit bid in the fourth inning with a bunt single to third base as the Tech second baseman did not cover first base to allow the single. May then was tagged out at second after stealing the base, sliding past the bag and Wood retired the next batter as the game advanced to the fifth inning.
Neither team managed a run in the final inning as Tech improved to 3-0 at the Buzz Classic. Tech tallied a season-high 12 hits in the game and tied a season-high with three home runs and 10 runs scored.
In game two versus Mercer, Tech jumped out in front in the top of the third inning as the Yellow Jackets posted seven consecutive hits to score five runs. Sheridan, Morales, Lever and Hosier all drove in runs and senior Kirin Kumar doubled off the right field fence to start the string of hits.
Senior pitcher Jessica Sallinger (10-2) was removed from the circle in the bottom of the third inning after throwing a perfect two innings in favor of Humphreys. After recording the first batter of the inning, Humphreys gave up two bunt singles to put runners at first and second with one out, but recorded two straight outs to retire the side.
Kumar drove in Tech’s sixth run of the game with two outs in the fifth inning to score Donovan who reached on a walk. The Jackets’ Wood entered the circle for Tech in the bottom of the fifth inning and retired the side in order.
Sheridan and Brown hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning to lift the Jackets over the Bears, 8-0, in six innings of action. Wood tossed a perfect two innings to close out the game for Tech. The Jackets tallied 12 hits against the Bears, tying a season high, and only allowed three against. Humphreys (4-1) picked up the win in relief, throwing two innings, allowing three hits and no runs.
The Yellow Jackets will be the top seed in bracket play and will face the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game tonight on Sunday at 9 a.m. The semifinals of bracket play will be at 11 a.m., with the championship game following at 1 p.m.
-GT SOFTBALL-