College Park, Md. – The Georgia Tech softball team used a pair of home runs in the day’s second game to snap a five-game losing skid and earn a split in its Atlantic Coast Conference doubleheader with Maryland. In the first game of the day, the Terrapins (34-14, 1-1 ACC) and Jackets (23-20, 2-4 ACC) were tied at zero, until the Terps plated a pair of runs in the sixth inning to claim a 2-0 win. In the second game, Tech jumped out to an early 4-1 lead and held on for a 4-3 win.
In the day’s first contest, the Yellow Jackets were unable to manufacture an offensive attack against Terrapin starter Amanda Bettker, as she held Tech to four hits in the game and retired eight hitters via strikeouts. Jacket starter Mimi Utt was also effective, as she held the Maryland offense in check for 4.1 innings before being relieved by freshman Erin Voeltz. Utt allowed only four hits in her time on the mound.
The Jackets’ best chance to score came in the top of the third inning, when Utt reached base on an error by Maryland second baseman Amanda Kipnis and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Soraya Reddick. Two batters later, Kori Jacobson singled to left-center field, but Utt was cut down at the plate on a throw by Terp center fielder Michelle Burrell.
Tech escaped a jam in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Kipnis led off with a single for the Terps and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Danielle Carpenter, before Burrell’s single put runners on the corners with one out. Utt then left the game for Tech in favor of Voeltz, who struck out the first batter she faced before walking Jennifer Potzman to load the bases with two outs. Voeltz then fanned Casey Leiter to end the threat.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning when Maryland’s Jillian Callaway drew a one-out walk and scored when she was followed by Monica Cyphert, who hit the first pitch she saw from Voeltz over the center-field fence to give the Terps the decisive 2-0 lead.
Bettker (12-3) earned the shutout win as she went the distance for the Terps, scattering four hits and striking out eight, while only walking one. Voeltz (11-12) took the loss in relief as she gave up the two runs on two hits, while striking out four batters in 1.2 innings of work.
Georgia Tech found the offense it had been looking for in the day’s second game, as the Jackets jumped out to a 4-1 lead and held on for the 4-3 victory.
The Yellow Jackets struck first in the bottom of the third inning, as freshman Sara Wissmann was hit by a pitch with one out and moved to second on a bunt single by Jacobson. The two scored two batters later when rookie Tara Knudsen sent Maryland starter Jen Shellhammer’s 1-1 pitch over the left-field fence for her fourth home run of the season. The homer staked the Tech to a 3-0 advantage.
Maryland answered in the bottom of the inning as Burrell recorded a one-out single, and move to second on a sacrifice bunt by Annmarie Browne before scoring two batters later when Leiter singled to make the score 3-1.
Tech immediately got the run back in the top of the fourth inning, as Tasha Waugh led off the frame with a solo home run, taking Shellhammer’s 3-2 pitch out to straight-away center field for her fifth homer of the year, and a 4-1 Yellow Jacket lead. Waugh was the offensive standout for the Jackets, as she finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and one RBI.
The Terrapins again answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth, as Callaway led off the frame with a single and moved to second on a single by Cyphert. Kipnis attempted to bunt Callaway and Cyphert over, but only moved Callaway to third and she and Cyphert were doubled up by the Yellow Jacket defense. Callaway scored to cut the Jacket lead to 4-2 on a RBI single by Carpenter.
Maryland cut the margin to the final 4-3 count in the bottom of the fifth, as Leiter reached base with two outs on a pair of errors by Tech pitcher Tiffany Goodman. She then scored on a RBI single by Beth Radford. Radford’s hit chased Goodman from the game, and Voeltz relieved her in the fifth.
The Terps threatened in the bottom of the seventh inning as they had runners at the corners with one out in the frame. Voeltz retired both Leiter and Radford for the final two outs of the inning and to seal the win for the Jackets.
Goodman (8-7) was the winner for Georgia Tech, as she went 4.2 innings, allowing three runs, two of which were earned, and spreading out seven hits. Voeltz went the final 2.1 innings of the contest, allowing just one hit, while striking out three to earn her fourth save of the season.
The Yellow Jacket will return to action on Tuesday, April 17, when they travel to Tennessee-Chattanooga for a doubleheader beginning at 5:00 p.m., the game will be a makeup of the rained out date from earlier this season.
Georgia Tech at Maryland (Game 1)
Apr 15, 2001 at College Park, Md. (North Complex)
Georgia Tech 0 (22-20,1-4 ACC) Maryland 2 (34-13,1-0 ACC)
AB R H RBI AB R H RBI
Jacobson, K. dp 3 0 1 0 Burrell, M. cf 4 0 1 0 Frost, J. 3b 3 0 0 0 Browne, A. rf 3 0 1 0 Knudsen, T. ss 3 0 1 0 Potzman, J. ss 1 0 1 0 Hawley, E. 1b 3 0 0 0 Leiter, C. 3b 2 0 0 0 Waugh, T. c 3 0 0 0 Radford, B. c 3 0 0 0 Styer, E. 2b 3 0 1 0 Callaway, J. 1b 2 1 0 0 Utt, M. p 1 0 0 0 Cyphert, M. dp 3 1 1 2 Voeltz, E. p 1 0 0 0 Kipnis, A. 2b 3 0 1 0 Reddick, S. lf 1 0 0 0 Carpenter, D lf 2 0 1 0 Wissmann, S. cf 1 0 0 0 Bettker, A. p 0 0 0 0 Biggers, J. ph/cf 1 0 1 0 Miller, S. rf 0 0 0 0
Totals…… 23 0 4 0 Totals…… 23 2 6 2
Score by innings: R H E ——————————————- Georgia Tech 000 000 0 – 0 4 0 Maryland 000 002 – 2 6 1 ——————————————-
E – Kipnis, A.. LOB – Georgia Tech 4; Maryland 8. HR – Cyphert, M.. SH – Reddick, S.(2); Carpenter, D. SB – Burrell, M.. CS – Reddick, S.(3).
IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF Fly Gnd NP
Utt, M. 4.1 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 16 19 8 5 72 Voeltz, E. L 11-12 1.2 2 2 2 2 4 0 0 0 0 7 9 0 1 41
Bettker, A. W 12-3 7.0 4 0 0 1 8 0 0 0 0 23 25 5 6 100
Strikeouts – Frost, J.; Knudsen, T. 2; Hawley, E.; Waugh, T. 2; Voeltz, E.; Wissmann, S.; Burrell, M.; Browne, A.; Leiter, C.; Kipnis, A.. Walks – Utt, M.; Potzman, J. 2; Leiter, C.; Callaway, J..
Umpires – Home:Stowe 1st:Greene Start: 12:49 pm Time: 1:30 Attendance: 106
Georgia Tech at Maryland (Game 2)
Apr 15, 2001 at College Park, Md. (North Complex)
Georgia Tech 4 (23-20,2-4 ACC) Maryland 3 (34-14,1-1 ACC)
AB R H RBI AB R H RBI
Jacobson, K. dp 4 1 1 0 Burrell, M. cf 4 1 2 0 Frost, J. 3b 4 0 0 0 Browne, A. rf 2 0 0 0 Knudsen, T. ss 3 1 1 3 Potzman, J. ss 2 0 0 0 Hawley, E. 1b 3 0 0 0 Leiter, C. 3b 3 1 1 1 Waugh, T. c 3 1 2 1 Radford, B. c 3 0 1 1 Styer, E. 2b 3 0 0 0 Callaway, J. 1b 3 1 2 0 Biggers, J. lf 3 0 0 0 Cyphert, M. dp/p 3 0 1 0 Miller, S. rf 3 0 0 0 Kipnis, A. 2b 2 0 0 0 Wissmann, S. cf 2 1 1 0 Carpenter, D lf 3 0 1 1 Goodman, T. p 0 0 0 0 Shellhammer p/dp 0 0 0 0 Voeltz, E. p 0 0 0 0
Totals…… 28 4 5 4 Totals…… 25 3 8 3
Score by innings: R H E ——————————————- Georgia Tech 003 100 0 – 4 5 2 Maryland 001 110 0 – 3 8 2 ——————————————-
E – Goodman, T. 2(8); Leiter, C.; Kipnis, A.. DP – Georgia Tech 1. LOB – Georgia Tech 4; Maryland 8. 2B – Burrell, M.. HR – Knudsen, T.(4); Waugh, T.(5). SH – Browne, A. 2; Radford, B.; Kipnis, A..
IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF Fly Gnd NP
Goodman, T. W 8-7 4.2 7 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 18 23 3 9 75 Voeltz, E. S,4 2.1 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 7 9 1 3 43
Shellhammer L 8-5 3.0 4 4 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 13 14 2 5 36 Cyphert, M. 4.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 15 15 1 8 39
HBP – by Shellhammer (Wissmann, S.).
Strikeouts – Jacobson, K.; Knudsen, T.; Styer, E.; Miller, S.; Wissmann, S.; Leiter, C.; Radford, B.; Cyphert, M.; Kipnis, A.. Walks – Potzman, J. 2; Leiter, C..
Umpires – Home:Green 1st:Stowe Start: 2:40 pm Time: 1:46 Attendance: 106 Shellhammer faced 1 batter in the 4th.
-GT-
