April 25, 2010
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A two-run single by Danielle Dike led a three-run fifth inning as the No. 8/6 Georgia Tech Softball team (43-8, 16-2 ACC) erased a 2-0 deficit and came back to beat No. 24/20 Florida State (39-14, 10-8) 5-2 on Sunday afternoon at JoAnne Graf Field. The win clinched the Yellow Jackets’ second straight ACC regular season title and was just their third ever in school history.
Dike was 2-for-4 in the game, while sophomore Kelsi Weseman also had two hits for the Yellow Jackets. Redshirt senior Jen Yee tied two more records in the game. She was intentionally walked three times this afternoon giving her 29 on the season which tied Arizona State’s Katie Cochran for the most in NCAA history. Cochran was issued a free pass 29 times in 2008. Yee also scored the 216th run of her career moving into a tie with current Assistant Coach Aileen Morales atop the all-time Tech chart. Yee has done it in one less season.
Freshman Hope Rush improved to 24-5 on the season as she got the win in relief. Rush shut out the Seminoles on just two hits over four innings. She did not walk a batter and struck out one. Sophomore Jessica Coan started and gave up two runs in three innings, although both FSU runs scored on bloop singles. She allowed three total hits, walked two and fanned three.
The Yellow Jackets also set an ACC record by winning their 16th straight series. It broke Virginia Tech’s mark of 15 straight from 2006 to 2008. The Jackets have not lost an ACC series since April 5-6, 2008.
FSU scored its only two runs of the game with two outs in the second inning. Ashley Stager and Kristie McConn each walked and came around to score on RBI singles by Monica Montez and Courtney Rosen.
The Jackets got on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning. Junior Christy Jones got the inning started with a bunt single and went to second base when Yee was intentionally walked. That’s when FSU made a pitching change and Sarah Hamitlon came in to relieve Terese Gober. Weseman sacrificed both runners over for the first out of the inning and then junior Kristine Priebe was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
With Rush at the plate, Hamilton uncorked a wild pitch allowing Jones to score Tech’s first run. After Hamilton struck Rush out, sophomore Kate Kuzma was robbed of a home run by Morgan Bullock in left field helping to preserve FSU’s lead.
It was still a 2-1 game until the top of the fifth inning when the Jackets scored three runs to take the lead for good. With the bases loaded and two outs, Hamilton walked Kuzma forcing in the tying run. Dike then delivered a RBI single to left field scoring two runs and making it a 4-2 game. The second run was able to score when Bullock bobbled the ball in left field. The Yellow Jackets added an insurance run in the seventh inning when Kuzma scored on a wild pitch.
Rush pitched a perfect seventh inning to clinch the regular season title for the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech’s eight-game road trip continues on Wednesday, April 28 with a single game at No. 5 Alabama. First pitch from Tuscaloosa is set for 7 p.m. ET and live audio and stats can be found at www.RamblinWreck.com.
