March 29, 2009
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech softball team (26-9, 4-2 ACC) scored three runs with two outs in the seventh inning to tie the game, but No. 19/20 Florida State (25-11, 3-3) plated the winning run in the eighth to win the series finale, 5-4, Sunday afternoon in front of a standing room only crowd at Mewborn Field. A two-run single by Whitney Haller and a RBI single by Tiffany Johnson tied the game for the Yellow Jackets in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Kristen Adkins (13-5) took the loss as she pitched three innings in relief of starter Tiffany Johnson. Adkins gave up the one earned run on five hits. She did not walk a batter and struck out one. Johnson had a no decision after giving up four earned runs on seven hits and four walks. She struck out three batters.
Terese Gober (16-6) picked up the win for Seminoles. She gave up four runs, but they were all unearned, on six hits and two walks. She had 10 strikeouts and threw 156 pitches in the complete-game effort.
The Yellow Jackets scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning. With runners at second and third and just one out, Kelsi Weseman hit a sacrifice fly giving Tech the 1-0 lead. Christy Jones, who led off the inning with a single, scored for the Yellow Jackets.
The Seminoles took their first lead of the series in the top of the fourth inning. With two on and two outs, Michelle Snyder hit a three-run home run putting FSU up 3-1. Snyder’s second round-tripper of the year hit off the top of the wall and bounced over, just above the top of Tech right fielder Jessica Sinclair’s glove.
A Carly Wynn home run in the fifth inning made it a 4-1 game and it stayed that way until the dramatic Tech seventh. Jessica Weaver led off with a single and then an infield single by Jones put two on with nobody out for Blair Shimandle.
Shimandle dropped a bunt down and third baseman Michelle Snyder fielded and threw over to first, but the second baseman Kristie McConn dropped the ball and everybody was safe. Gober came back to get Jen Yee on a foul out and then strike Weseman out for the inning’s first and second outs, but the Jackets came back to tie the game.
Haller dumped the first pitch she saw into left-field for a two-run single and then Johnson hit her first pitch up the middle as Shimandle was able to score the tying run. With runners at second and third, Gober got Adkins on a come-backer to end the inning.
In the eighth, FSU was able to score the go-ahead run and this time hung on for the win. After Snyder doubled with one out, she scored the winning run on a single by Shayla Jackson. The Seminoles had the bases loaded with two outs later in the inning, but Adkins got out of it.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Gober retired the Yellow Jackets in order to end the game.
The Yellow Jackets will now head up to Massachusetts for a three-game series at Boston College, April 4-5. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 4, at 1 p.m. and then a single game Sunday, April 5 at Noon. Live audio and stats for all Georgia Tech softball games this season are available free of charge at www.ramblinwreck.com.
