March 3, 2012
ATLANTA – Using 21 hits, the Georgia Tech softball team swept a pair of opponents on day two of the Buzz Classic, relocated to Mewborn Field. The Jackets earned a 5-3 victory over Western Kentucky in game one, and the 8-6 extra innings victory over Tennessee-Martin in the second game of the day.
Tech improved to 11-8 with the wins while Western Kentucky dropped to 12-4 and UT-Martin fell to a 9-7 record.
Hope Rush picked up her sixth win of the season in game one, pitching all seven innings, allowing just three hits and three earned runs and striking out seven. Kylie Kleinschmidtearned her first collegiate victory in game two, pitching eight innings, allowing nine hits, six runs and also striking out seven.
Kate Kuzma was 2-for-4 in the first game for the Jackets driving in two runs and scoring two of her own. The senior also contributed on defense laying out for the final out of the inning and reeling in every ball in her direction. Katie Johnsky, on a 2-for-4 effort in game two, scored two runs for Tech.
In game one, Tech got its first three runs in the bottom of the third inning with two outs on the board. Ashley Thomas started things off by beating out an infield single to third base and advancing all the way to third on a throw gone wild. She was brought home one batter later on a shot over the right centerfield wall by Kate Kuzma, her second homer of the year.
Alysha Rudnik kept things going by blooping a single to right field, moving over to second as Rush drew a walk and coming around to score on a single to center by Karly Fullem.
Western Kentucky tied things up in the fourth inning getting runners on by a hit by pitch and error at third base. A triple to right field by Katrina Metoyer brough home the first two runs and Metoyer scored herself on a double to left center by Laura Smith to even things at 3-all.
Tech tagged another run on in the fifth as Rudnik walked, moved up to second on a ground out by Rush and scored on a single to right centerfield by Fullem making it a 4-3 game. The Jackets added an insurance run on in the bottom of the sixth. Kuzma was husting all the way, turning what should have been a single to left center, into a double. She came around to score a couple batters later on a single up the middle by Rush for the 5-3 lead.
In game two, Tech jumped out to the early lead scoring its first run in the top of the second. Katie Johnsky led off with a single down the leftfield line moving to second on a sac bunt by Hayley Downs, to third on an infield single to third by Ashley Thomasand raced home on a wild pitch to tally the first run of the game.
Tennessee-Martin took a lead of its own in the bottom of the third using a sacrifice fly and a single through the middle to get on top 2-1.
Tech tied things up in the fourth on a solo shot to right center by Danielle Dike, her second of the season, later taking a lead in the top of the fourth. Alysha Rudnikgot on for the third time during the game via her second walk of the night coming all the way around to touch the plate on a bomb to deep centerfield by Rush that hit the trees. The roundtripper gave Tech its 4-2 edge.
But, in the bottom of the seventh, Tennessee-Martin managed to tie things up at four-all on a two-run shot to left centerfield forcing extra innings.
Tech took advantage of the international tiebreaker rule putting four runs on the board in the top of the eighth inning. The Jackets gave up two runs in the bottom half of the frame but still came away with the 8-6 victory and the sweep on the day.
The Jackets return to action on the final day of the Buzz Classic back in Woodstock, Ga. where they will take on Southeastern Louisiana at 10 a.m. and Elon at Noon.
Keep up to date with the Georgia Tech Softball team all season long at www.RamblinWreck.com as well as twitter.com/GaTechSoftball and facebook.com/GTSoftball
