Feb. 15, 2012
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech softball team blasted five home run en route to a doubleheader sweep over Furman, Wednesday. The Yellow Jackets took the first game 4-2, earning an 8-2 victory in game two and improving to 6-1 on the season. Furman dropped to 0-5.
Tech is now 22-18 all time against the Paladins and has won seven of their last eight meetings.
Both Hope Rush and Lindsey Andersonearned the victory on the day with Rush improving to 2-1 and Anderson remaining perfect with a 4-0 record. Weseman was 2-for-6 on the day for Tech with both of her hits going out of the park.
“We still have ton of power on this team,” said Head Coach Sharon Perkins. “We aren’t sitting there and trying to reach a certain number of home runs, but we are trying to hit it out of here and it just seems to fly at Mewborn Field.”
In game one, the Jackets got on the board in the third inning on Weseman’s first home run of the day, a three-run shot that was off the end of the bat and just over the leftfield wall. Chelsie Thomas led the inning off with a single to left field, stole second and moved over to third on a bunt single by Hayley Downsthat just died in front of the plate. With runners on first and third, Weseman muscled a home run just over the left field wall to give Tech the first lead of the game.
Ashley Thomasmade one of her many great defensive stops in the fifth inning ranging all the way to her right and throwing to first from deep in the hole to get the Furman leadoff runner.
“Those plays Ashley made today were unreal,” continued Perkins. “I don’t know many people that could make those plays that she did. She has a cannon to back it up and makes plays like that every day in practice so it is not unheard of for her to do.”
Tech added to its total in the sixth inning as Alysha Rudnik began things with a single up the middle that was booted by the Furman centerfielder allowing her to move up to second. She came home one batter later as Shannon Bearhad a shot to dead center for a double to give Tech a 4-0 lead.
Furman was able to cut the lead in half in the seventh inning, on its first home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left field wall, but that would be it as Tech earned the 4-2 victory.
Tech continued their success into game two and went off in the first inning blasting three homeruns including Weseman’s second and back-to-back shots by Shannon Bearand Rush to give Tech a 5-0 lead.
Tech added another two to its lead in the third inning. Rush started things off with a walk and moved over to third as Katie Johnsky sent a hot shot at the first baseman that she just could not handle, ending up with a double. They were both driven in one batter later by Kate Kuzmawho sent a shot right up the middle and into centerfield.
Furman gained a couple back in the sixth inning on another two-run shot that stayed just fair of the leftfield foul pole cutting the lead to 7-2, but Kuzma got a run back with a solo shot to leadoff the bottom half of the inning. Tech threatened to add more, but could not get another run across the plate, and finished with the 8-2 victory.
The Jackets return to the tournament scene this weekend when they head to Auburn, Ala. for the ACC/SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Tech will definitely face a challenge as they take on No. 2 Alabama and No. 4 Oklahoma in back-to-back games on day one starting at 5:30 p.m. Friday. Day two will see the Jackets match up with No. 18 Oklahoma State at 5:30 and Sunday Tech will face off with a tough Auburn team on its home turf.
Keep up to date with the Georgia Tech Softball team all season long at www.RamblinWreck.com as well as twitter.com/GaTechSoftball and facebook.com/GTSoftball
