Feb. 18, 2017
PSU Box Score | Iowa Box Score
THE FLATS – The Georgia Tech softball team (2-7) split a doubleheader on Saturday on day two of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Jackets fell to Penn State (4-4) , 8-3, before beating Iowa (2-6) in walk-off fashion, 3-2. Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh with the winning run on third, Kelsey Chisholm roped the walk-off single to give Tech the win.
Saturday was Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer, where the team honored Hayden Hudgens, a little girl battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, by wearing gold shoe laces to raise awareness for pediatric cancer.
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“I thought we hit the ball very well today,” head coach Shelly Hoerner said. “The last inning to get a walk-off was huge. We did the little things, moving runners, twice, if we don’t move Karissa Arnold over, we don’t score. I told the team we’ve got to fight. This is about fighting and this weekend is about fighting, especially for Hayden [Hudgens]. We fought until the end. I was happy with the way we played. I thought Brooke [Barfield] did a good job pitching, she got out of jams and the team got out of jams. Overall it was a good team victory.”
How It Happened
Penn State 8, Georgia Tech 3
The Jackets were fast out of the gate thanks to a lead-off single by Samantha Pierannunzi and a two-run bomb off the bat of Malea Bell.
Penn State erased Georgia Tech’s 2-0 lead with five runs in the third inning and three runs in the fourth inning to take an 8 -2 lead. In the seventh, the Jackets blasted three hits, including two doubles, to score a run, but it wasn’t enough.
Jenna Goodrich (1-2) pitched the first 3.1 innings and was tagged with the loss. Brooke Barfield threw the remaining 2.2 innings and held Penn State scoreless through those frames.
Marlaina Laubach (2-1) earned the win in a complete game effort.
Georgia Tech 3, Iowa 2
The Jackets scored first against the Hawkeyes in the second inning. Kendall Chadwick drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on a single by Karissa Arnold. Chadwick scored on a sacrifice fly to left from Crosby Huckabay.
Iowa countered with a two-run third inning, but the Jackets recovered in the third thanks to an RBI-double from Jessica Kowalewicz that scored Pierannunzi.
In the seventh, Arnold smacked a leadoff single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Draven Sonnon. She got to third on a groundout by Drew Puckett and scored on Chisholm’s shot through the left side.
Barfield (1-3) earned her first collegiate win throwing a complete game. Iowa’s Shayla Starkenburg (1-2) threw 6.2 innings and allowed three runs on six hits in the loss.
Quick Hits
– On the day, Pierannunzi went 4-for-7 with two runs to hit .571
– Through both games, Kowalewicz went 3-for-5 to hit .600 with a run, two doubles, an RBI and two sacrifice bunts
– On the day, Arnold hit .500 (3-for-6) with a run
– Bell went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a home run against Penn State
– Chisholm drew two walks against Penn State to go along with her walk-off hit against Iowa
Up Next
The Jackets wrap up the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Sunday with a rematch against Iowa at 12: 30 p.m.
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