March 29, 2002
ATLANTA – Off to its first 2-0 start in ACC play since 1997, the Georgia Tech softball team (29-9, 2-0 ACC) has a chance to improve on that mark when it hosts Virginia (29-10, 0-0 ACC) for a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday at Glenn Field.
The Jackets and Cavaliers have already met once this season at the National Invitational Softball Tournament in Pleasanton, Calif. Virginia won, 6-4, in 10 innings. The Jackets were down the entire game before rallying to score four in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game to extra frames.
The Cavaliers lead the all-time series with the Jackets, 25-7. Tech last defeated Virginia when it swept a doubleheader in Atlanta in April 1998.
These contests will feature three of the ACC’s top hitters. The Jackets’ Tara Knudsen ranked second in batting average at the start of the week, followed by UVa’s Heather Field (.430) and Kristin Dennis (.410). Knudsen leads the conference with nine home runs and 33 runs batted in. Dennis also has 33 RBI.
Two of the conference’s top pitchers will also be on display, as Dennis also ranks as the league’s leader in earned run average (0.73) and owns a 14-4 record with 174 strikeouts. Tech freshman Jessica Sallinger ranks second with 166 strikeouts. She also has a 14-4 record and sports a 1.14 ERA.
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