March 28, 2007
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
ATHENS, Ga. – Junior Savannah Brown drove in three runs, smashing her ninth home run of the season in the opener, and sophomore Whitney Haller was a perfect 3-for-3, with three RBIs in the nightcap, to lead No. 24 Georgia Tech (31-10) to its first ever sweep of archrival No. 22 Georgia (28-14), 5-4 and 4-1, on Wednesday at the UGA Softball Stadium.
In her first return trip to Athens since leaving earlier this fall for the head coaching job at Tech, Sharon Perkins led the Yellow Jackets to a pair of wins after spending six years as an assistant coach for Georgia (2001-06).
“The players really fought hard today and the pitchers kept us in the game,” said Perkins. “It’s always special when you can play well against your rival.”
Sophomore Tiffany Johnson (13-4) tossed her eighth complete game of the season in the opener, allowing six hits, four earned runs and struck out three. Senior Kristina Hull went 4-for-6 in the doubleheader, while sophomore Jennifer Yee finished 3-for-6, with two RBIs, to pace the Jackets offensively.
Junior Whitney Humphreys (12-4) tossed her seventh complete game of the season in game two, limiting the Bulldogs to one run, on nine hits and fanned one.
In game one, the Jackets’ Brown homered to center field with two outs and runners at first and second to give Tech a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Bulldogs answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning as Meghan McAllister drove in a run on a ground out and Melissa Wood homered to left field as Tech led by one, 3-2.
Tech scored two more runs in the top of the second inning on sacrifice fly balls by junior Aileen Morales and Yee as the lead went back to three, 5-2.
The Bulldogs scored a run in the bottom of the third inning after Kellie Middleton tripled to right center field and later scored on a ground out to second base to cut the lead to two, 5-3.
Wood struck again for UGA in the bottom of the sixth inning with a leadoff home run to left center field, clearing the fence by inches, for her second of the game as Tech’s lead was cut to just one, 5-4.
Tech scored five runs, on nine hits and had no errors, while UGA scored four runs, on six hits and had no errors.
In game two, the Bulldogs took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the second inning as Victoria singled to second base as Tech trailed 1-0 after two innings of action.
The Rambling Wreck took their first lead of the game in the top of the third inning. Sophomore Blair Shimandle started the inning with a walk and advanced to second base on a single by junior Stephanie Butler. After a ground out, Yee singled to center field to move the runners and then Haller hit a sac fly to left field as Tech led 2-1.
Haller drove in her second run of the game in the top of the fifth inning with a single up the middle to plate Morales who led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt as the Jackets led by two runs, 3-1.
Haller doubled to left center field in the seventh inning to score the fourth and final run for the Jackets as they grabbed their biggest lead, 4-1.
Tech scored four runs, on 10 hits and committed two errors, while UGA scored one run, on nine hits and had one error.
The Yellow Jackets (3-3 ACC) will host No. 23 North Carolina (32-8, 6-0 ACC) in an Atlantic Coast Conference three-game series, March 31-April 1, at Glenn Field. The two teams will play a twinbill on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. and a single game at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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