March 15, 2011
Georgia Southern Game 1 Box Score | Georgia Southern Game 2 Box Score | Updated Stats
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ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech softball team (19-4) hit nine home runs and had 24 hits en route to 13-0 and 10-0 wins, both in five innings, over Georgia Southern (10-17) on Tuesday afternoon at Mewborn Field. The Yellow Jackets have now won 12 straight games and seven of their last eight have come via a shut out.
Senior Kristen Adkins (9-2) pitched four scoreless innings in game one and has now gone 22.1 consecutive innings without allowing a run. She did not walk a batter and struck out four while allowing just two first inning hits. In game two, sophomore Hope Rush went the distance as she allowed three walks and four hits in five innings. Rush struck out five batters and has not allowed a run herself in the last 21.2 innings.
Junior Kelsi Weseman led the offensive attack going 3-for-3 with three home runs. She walked three times, scored four times and had six RBI. Junior Shannon Bear was 4-for-7 with two home runs and four RBI. Senior Jessica Weaver, junior Jessica Sinclair, Rush and freshman Alysha Rudnik also each went deep for Tech. Freshman Ashley Thomas had three hits and two stolen bases, while freshman Hayley Downs went 2-for-2 with a triple.
Georgia Southern threatened in the top of the first inning but Adkins was able to get out of the jam. After back-to-back hits put Eagles on the corners and nobody out, Adkins got three straight ground ball outs to prevent any damage. Megan Smith tried a squeeze but Adkins fielded quickly and threw home to nail Marie Fogle. That was followed by a couple of ground ball outs.
The Yellow Jackets came back to score three runs in the bottom of the first inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, sophomore Hope Rush hit a ground ball to third base. Andrea Tarashuk threw home, but senior Christy Jones knocked the ball out of Georgia Southern catcher Mackenzie Williams’ glove and two runs were able to score. Senior Kristine Priebe also had a RBI single in the inning for the Yellow Jackets.
With two outs in the second inning, junior Shannon Bear continued her hot hitting as she blasted a two-run home run to center field, her fifth of the season, putting the Yellow Jackets up 5-0. That also knocked starting pitcher Brianna Streetmon out of the game.
Georgia Tech blew open the game with eight more runs in the third inning to take a 13-0 lead. Bear hit her second two-run home run of the game while senior Jessica Weaver and freshman Alysha Rudnik also went deep for a two-run homers. Junior Kelsi Weseman hit a solo home run and freshman Hayley Downs drove in a run with a triple.
The Yellow Jackets picked right up where they left off in the first inning of game two. With Jones aboard, Rush launched her eighth home run of the season into the parking lot in right field to put Tech up 2-0.
In the second inning, Weseman continued the home run barrage with a two-run shot over the fence in right field to put Tech up 4-0. It was her second round-tripper of the day and eighth of the season to move into the team lead with Rush.
Weseman went deep again for the Yellow Jackets, this time a two-run shot to the opposite field, putting Tech up 6-0. It was her second round-tripper of the game, third of the day and ninth of the season. After Georgia Southern made a pitching to bring Streemon in, she was greeted rudely by junior Jessica Sinclair. Sinclair lined a home run over the fence in center field on the first pitch she saw giving Tech a 7-0 lead. It was her fifth home run of the season.
The Jackets added runs later in the fourth inning on RBI by Kuzma, Rudnik and Weseman.
The Yellow Jackets will now hit the road this weekend for their annual spring break trip. Georgia Tech will begin in Myrtle Beach, S.C. this weekend for the Chanticleer Chellenge where it will play Lipscomb (2:30 p.m.) and Coastal Carolina (6:30 p.m.) on Friday, Kansas (Noon) and Lipscomb (2:30 p.m.) on Saturday and then Providence at 10 a.m. on Sunday. The trip concludes on Tuesday, March 22 with a doubleheader at Winthrop.
Live audio and stats for every Georgia Tech Softball game is available at www.RamblinWreck.com. Follow Georgia Tech Softball all season at www.Twitter.com/GaTechSoftball and on Facebook.
