March 20, 2004
MARIETTA, Ga. – Senior Tara Knudsen went 3-for-3, with a home run (8) and four runs batted in as the No. 21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets blanked Iowa State, 11-0, in five innings tonight in the first round of bracket play at the Buzz Classic. Junior Jessica Sallinger (17-3) threw four shutout innings, allowing just one hit and struck out eight. Tech will face No. 3 seed Connecticut tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.
The Yellow Jackets wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Tech put up four in the first inning. Senior Soraya Reddick led off with a single up the middle and moved over to third base on a botched sacrifice by Iowa State. With runners and second and third, senior Tara Knudsen singled off the pitcher to plate Reddick. The Jackets pulled off a double steal and senior Tasha Waugh sent one over the left field fence for her first home run of the season.
Reddick drove in a run for the Jackets in the second inning with a RBI single up the middle to score senior Sara Wissmann who led off the inning with walk. Tech tallied an unearned run as sophomore Amy Hosier reached on an error by the ISU second baseman and Knudsen drove one off the right center field fence to push Hoiser in all the way from third base as Tech led 6-0.
Sophomore Lauren Schlechte smashed her third home run of the season in the third inning as she sent a 2-1 pitch over the left field fence as Tech increased its advantage to seven, 7-0.
Iowa State’s Julia Lindsey broke up Sallinger’s no-hit bid in the fourth inning with a bloop single just out of the reach of the Jacket second baseman. Sallinger responded with two strikeouts and a pop out to squash the threat in the fourth inning.
Knudsen drove in her second and third runs of the night with a blast to left center field as the Yellow Jackets went out in front by nine, 9-0. Junior Katie Donovan followed with a walk and Bartle doubled down the right field line to score two more runs as the Jackets led the Cyclones, 11-0.
Freshman Sarah Wood entered the circle for Tech in the top of the fifth inning and retired three of the four batters to end the game for the Rambling Wreck.
Tech scored 11 runs, on nine hits and had no errors, while Iowa State had no runs, two hits and had two errors.
Waugh and Reddick continued to swing hot bats for the Jackets, ending the game 2-for-3. Waugh drove in three runs, while Reddick drove in one.
