March 12, 2011
ATLANTA – Senior Kristine Priebe had two home runs and four RBI as the Georgia Tech softball team (15-4) won its eighth straight game, 6-0 over Penn State (10-8), Saturday night in the Springhill Suites Buckhead Classic at Mewborn Field. It was the fourth straight shutout for the Yellow Jackets who have now gone 26.2 straight innings without allowing a run.
Junior Shannon Bear homered in her third straight game for Georgia Tech and junior Kelsi Weseman also went deep for the Yellow Jackets as they have now hit 32 home runs in 19 games and are hitting .332 as a team.
Sophomore Hope Rush (5-2) picked up the win for the Yellow Jackets as she scattered two hits and two walks over five innings of work. She struck out three batters. Senior Kristen Adkins pitched the final two frames and allowed two hits and a walk while fanning two. Adkins worked out of a bases loaded and no out jam in the seventh inning to preserve the shutout.
Georgia Tech took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a solo home run by junior Shannon Bear, who was just moved up into the No. 3 spot in the order. For Bear, it was her fourth home run of the season and third in as many games.
Bear and junior Kelsi Weseman switched spots in the order and it was Weseman from the No. 7 spot in the lineup who gave Tech a 2-0 lead in the second inning with an opposite field home run. For Weseman, it was her fifth round-tripper of the year.
The Yellow Jackets continued to use the long ball against Penn State pitcher Jackie Hill. After freshman Alysha Rudnik led off the fourth inning with a walk, senior Kristine Priebe hit her team-high sixth home run of the season putting Tech up 4-0.
The Yellow Jackets had a chance to break the game open in the bottom of the fifth inning, but Penn State relief pitcher Lisa Akamine came in to get out of a jam on just one pitch. With two on and just one out, Akamine got Rush to hit a fly ball to right field that turned into a double play as junior Kate Kuzma was thrown out trying to advance to third base.
Priebe gave the Jackets some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth when she hammered the first Akamine pitch she saw well over the fence in left field for her second two-run homer of the night. It was home run number seven of the season.
Georgia Tech will conclude the Springhill Suites Buckhead Classic on Sunday against Belmont at 12:30 p.m. and then Georgia State at 3 p.m. Live video, audio and stats will be available at RamblinWreck.com.
Follow Georgia Tech Softball all season at www.Twitter.com/GaTechSoftball and on Facebook.
