Feb. 24, 2017
THE FLATS – On the first day of the I-75 Challenge, Georgia Tech (5-8) swept a doubleheader against Omaha (3-7) on Friday afternoon at Mewborn Field. The Jackets defeated the Mavs, 5-1, in game one, and won game two in walk-off fashion in the eighth inning, 2-1.
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“I’m proud of the team,” head coach Shelly Hoerner. “We found a way to win and we fought until the end. I’m proud of how the team fought. I thought Malea [Bell] was seeing the ball really well. I thought Kendall [Chadwick] came up in a clutch situation and we’re starting to win those tough situations at the plate and that’s huge because we put a lot of emphasis on that, cashing runners in and she did a great job. I think overall, two good wins for us.”
How It Happened
Game 1: Georgia Tech 5, Omaha 1
Junior Kelsey Chisholm got the Jackets on the board in the opening frame when she blasted a three-run home run to score Malea Bell, who singled, and Jessica Kowalewicz, who walked.
Tech added another run in the third thanks to a leadoff triple by Samantha Pierannunzi. She scored on a single by Bell through the left side.
Omaha made it 4-1 with a run in the fifth inning. Tech got it back in the sixth when Kowalewicz singled and moved to third on Kendall Chadwick’s double. Kowalewicz scored on Chisholm’s sacrifice fly to left.
Brooke Barfield (2-3) earned the win throwing a complete game with three hits and one run to go along with six strikeouts.
Omaha’s Abbie Clanton (1-4) suffered the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits in six innings.
Game 2: Georgia Tech 2, Omaha 1 (8)
The two teams took a pitcher’s duel into the eighth inning with a 0-0 tie. Emily Anderson pitched the first six innings for Tech and scattered three hits with four strikeouts, before Jenna Goodrich entered the game in relief for the final two innings.
In the top of the eighth, the Mavs broke the tie thanks to a leadoff walk and a pair of hits. Down 1-0, the Jackets rallied. With one out, Kowalewicz walked and scored thanks to an error by Omaha’s left fielder on a single by Bell.
With runners Bell on third, Chadwick singled up the middle for the walk-off win, 2-1.
Goodrich (3-2) earned the win, allowing one run on two hits in two innings. Omaha’s Laura Roecker (2-3) pitched 7.1 innings with two runs on five hits in the loss.
Quick Hits
– Bell went 4-for-7 on the day with two runs and a .571 average
– Chadwick went 2-for-6 with a double
– Chisholm homered and tallied four RBI
– Kowalewicz went 1-for-4 with three runs and two walks
– Pierannunzi went 1-fo-r5 with a run and two walks
– Colleen Darragh, Rebecca Prairie and Drew Puckett also singled for Tech
Up Next
The Jackets continue action in the I-75 Challenge on Saturday with a doubleheader against Radford at 1 p.m. Radford head coach Aileen Morales makes her return to The Flats as a former Tech softball player (2005-08) and an All-American.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GaTechSoftball), Instagram (@GaTechSoftball), Facebook (Georgia Tech Softball) or by visiting www.ramblinwreck.com.
