May 8, 2009
RALEIGH, N.C. Senior Whitney Haller went 3-for-4 with her 12th home run of the season as the No. 21/15 Georgia Tech softball team (41-13) shut out Virginia (25-22), 7-0, in today’s first round of the ACC Tournament at Dail Stadium on the campus of NC State University. The Yellow Jackets will now face the winner of tonight’s final quarterfinal game between No. 4 Maryland and No. 5 Virginia Tech in the semifinals, tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
Freshman Kelsi Weseman hit a two-run home run in the first inning and that was all of the offense sophomore pitcher Kristen Adkins would need. She improved to 22-7 on the season allowing just three singles in six shutout innings. Adkins walked two and struck out three. Freshman Jessica Coan pitched a scoreless seventh inning with a pair of strikeouts to preserve the win.
Tech pounded out 11 hits, including Haller’s three. Redshirt junior Jen Yee and Adkins also added two hits apiece for the Yellow Jackets.
In the first inning, Georgia Tech wasted no time in jumping on UVA starting pitcher Karla Wilburn. Yee led off with a double, was sacrificed to third base by senior Blair Shimandle and then scored on the Weseman home run. For Weseman, the ACC Freshman of the Year, it was her eighth round-tripper of the season. In the second inning, Shimandle was hit by a pitcher with the bases loaded making the score 3-0 in favor of the Yellow Jackets.
With Adkins on cruise control getting ground ball after ground ball from the Cavalier hitters, Tech broke open a 3-0 game with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Haller led off the frame with a home run, her 12th of the season moving her into a tie for the ACC lead with Yee and Virginia’s Nicole Koren. RBI singles by Adkins, sophomore pinch hitter Caroline Hilton and a sacrifice fly off the bat of freshman pinch hitter Danielle Dike accounted for the 7-0 Tech advantage.
Tomorrow’s 3:30 p.m. semifinal game against either Maryland or Virginia Tech will be streamed live on ACC Select free of charge. Live audio and stats will be available at www.ramblinwrewck.com as well. The 2009 ACC Championship game is set for Sunday, May 10, at 1 p.m. and will be televised live on the Regional Sports Networks.
