April 18, 2002
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Georgia Tech softball team (39-15, 6-2 ACC) lost a pair of games to Mississippi State (30-21, 10-10 SEC) Thursday at the MSU Softball Complex, giving the Jackets four consecutive losses for the first time all season. The Bulldogs took game one, 7-4, and won the second, 3-0.
The Bulldogs used a two-out, two-run double from left fielder Krystal Tillman to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second of the first game. The hit to left field scored second baseman Brooke Best and shortstop Jennifer Jessup.
Mississippi State added to its lead in the third on a run-scoring single by first baseman Kellie Wilkerson, extending the Bulldog advantage to 3-0 and chasing Tech starter Erin Voeltz from the game. Junior Tiffany Goodman entered in relief. MSU tacked on one more in the frame, taking a 4-0 lead.
The Jackets got back in the game with three unearned runs in the top of the fourth. Catcher Lindsay Wood led off the inning with her school-record 18th double of the season. She moved to third on right fielder Soraya Reddick’s second infield single of the game. Third baseman Jamie Frost reached on an error by the Bulldog second baseman, allowing Wood to score. The second error of the inning came as designated player Erin Glantz reached on a fielder’s choice, brining Reddick home. Tech’s third run of the frame came on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Katie Donovan, which scored Frost from third and cut the lead to 4-3.
The Bulldogs responded with a run in their half of the fourth, extending the margin to 5-3 on a sacrifice fly by Iyhia McMichael.
Tech again cut the lead to a single run in the fifth on a RBI grounder by Wood, which scored left fielder Tara Neff, who led off the inning with a single.
MSU tallied runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, extending the lead to the final score of 7-4. The Bulldogs scored in at least one run in every inning but the first.
Voeltz falls to 14-6 with the loss. She allowed four earned runs on four hits and three walks in two innings. Goodman gave up three earned runs on seven hits and three walks in the final four innings.
Bulldog starter Kasey Whitehead allowed just one earned run in six innings to earn her 18th victory of 2002. Wilkerson tossed a perfect seventh to record her 13th save, a new NCAA single-season record.
Knudsen and Reddick each had two hits to lead the Jackets, while Tillman went 4-for-4 for Mississippi State in game one.
The Bulldogs also scored first in the second contest, posting three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Catcher Blaire Brown, designated player Jennifer Waterman and Tillman had RBI hits in the frame. Tech starter Jessica Sallinger had not allowed a hit through the first three innings but surrendered four in the inning.
Three runs would be enough for MSU as the Jackets only managed four hits off of Bulldog starter Melissa Massey, who improved to 5-10 with the win. Whitehead entered with one out in the seventh to earn her second save of the season.
Sallinger (18-7) went six innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits and four walks. She also fanned six in the loss.
Tech returns to action Saturday when it travels to Jacksonville State for Noon CT doubleheader with the Gamecocks. The Jackets are 2-0 this season against JSU.
-GT-
