April 18, 2004
No. 22 Tech Rallies Past North Carolina, 2-1; UNC Takes Nightcap, 3-2
Kirin Kumar drove in three runs to lead the Yellow Jackets.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Junior third baseman Kirin Kumar singled to center field with two outs in the seventh inning to lead No. 22 Georgia Tech (37-13, 3-5 ACC) past North Carolina (38-16, 6-2 ACC), 2-1, in game one of an Atlantic Coast Conference doubleheader this afternoon. Carolina rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in game two as Theresa Nicholas singled through the left side to plate the winning run to give the Tar Heels a split, 3-2.
Tech struck first in game one in the top of the second inning. Sophomore right fielder Amy Hosier led off with a base hit to left field and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout, senior left fielder delivered a two-out base knock to right field to plate Hosier as the Yellow Jackets jumped out in front of UNC, 1-0.
The Tar Heels snapped Sallinger’s scoreless innings streak at 34.0 innings as UNC tallied an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Emily Price reached on an error and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt. Theresa Nicholas followed with a single to left field and advanced to second base on the throw to the plate. Joslin Higgins drove in Price with a sacrifice fly to right field to tie the game at 1-1.
Carolina threatened again in the sixth inning as Jessica Young doubled to left center with two outs. After an intentional walk, Sallinger induced a pop out to keep the game knotted at 1-1.
Senior first baseman Tasha Waugh led off the seventh inning with a double to left field. After a failed sacrifice bunt, UNC’s Crystal Cox struck out the next Yellow Jacket hitter to record the second out. Junior third baseman then singled to center field to plate pinch runner Kristina Hull as Tech regained the lead 2-1. Senior center fielder Soraya Reddick tallied another base hit to left field to put runners on first and second. Junior second baseman Katie Donovan hit the third straight single, but Kumar was thrown out at home plate by UNC’s Natashalyn Snipes to keep the Tar Heels within one, 2-1.
Sallinger retired the Heels in order in the final inning for her 24th win of the season. She finished the game with nine strikeouts and one walk, scattering four hits and one unearned run.
Tech scored two runs, on seven hits and had one error, while UNC scored one run, on four hits and committed one error.
In the nightcap, the Yellow Jackets put runners on second and third with no outs in the second inning. Hosier led off with a base hit up the middle and Waugh smashed a double off the center field fence. Wissmann was then hit-by-a-pitch to load the bases. UNC’s Alison Yin tallied a strikeout for the first out of the inning. Kumar drove in the game’s first run with a ground ball up the middle in which Carolina’s Price made a diving play to tally an out at second base. Price made another nice play in the hole between short and third base to throw out Reddick and keep the damage to just one run.
Kumar struck again for the Jackets in the fourth inning with a RBI single to left field to score Wissmann who reached on a fielder’s choice to increase the advantage to two runs, 2-0.
The Tar Heels rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning scoring an unearned run and getting two bunt singles and a bloop hit to cut the deficit to one, 2-1. With runners on second and third with one out, Tech intentionally walked Price to load the bases. UNC tied the game as Jessica Graziano was hit-by-a-pitch and Nicholas drove in the winning run with a base hit to left field to give the Tar Heels a 3-2 victory.
Kumar led the GT attack in game two, going 2-for-3, with two runs batted in. Waugh went 2-for-4 with a double, while Hosier finished 2-for-4 for the Yellow Jackets. Senior Erin Voeltz (13-7) picked up the loss in game two, going the distance, allowing 10 hits, three runs, two earned runs, while striking out six.
Tech scored two runs, on eight hits and had two errors, while Carolina had 10 hits, three runs and one error.
Georgia Tech will travel to Georgia Southern for a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday, April 21, beginning at 3 p.m.
-GT SOFTBALL-
