Feb. 24, 2018
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Georgia Tech softball (5-6) took two wins on day two of the Camel Stampede over Fairfield (3-5) and La Salle (0-2). The Jackets topped the Stags 13-4 with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth and sank the Explorers with back-to-back home runs to walk off with the 3-2 win.
Head coach Aileen Morales says:
“I felt like we took the momentum from last night’s win into today. We came out this morning with great focus and approach at the plate. There is power throughout our lineup and today was a great showcase of it. I’m really proud of the clutch home runs by Stanford and Sonnon to give us the walk-off win in game two.”
Georgia Tech 13, Fairfield 4 (5)
Designated as the home team, Tech started in the field. Freshman Naomi Dickerson got the start in the circle for the Jackets. She allowed one unearned run on an error by freshman Lilly Hooper at second. The Jackets would end the half inning, trailing 1-0.
Tech responded in the bottom of the first. With the bases loaded, two outs and a full count, senior Draven Sonnon hit a double to left field, scoring sophomore Rebecca Prairie and junior Katie Krzus, who both reached on singles up the middle. Hooper made up for her earlier error, plating sophomore Crosby Huckabay and Sonnon on a single to left field to give Tech the 4-1 lead. Huckabay extended her on-base streak to 10 games with a single to center field.
The Jackets got right back at in the second. With the bases loaded, an error on the Stags’ catcher during Huckabay’s at bat scored freshmanJaydra von Behren, who was pinch running for juniorKaylee Ellebracht, and advanced freshman Breanna Roper and junior Katie Krzus. Ellebracht reached on a single. Huckabay hit a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing Roper to score, who had reached on a walk. With Krzus on third, a throwing error on the third base reached freshman Cameron Stanford, scoring Krzus to give Tech the 7-1 lead. Sonnon stepped up and hit a triple, her first of the season, plating Stanford. Hooper hit a single to right field to score Sonnon, pushing the score to 9-1.
Tech held its 9-1 lead going into the bottom of the third. Ellebracht hit a double to left center and a bunt by Roper put Ellebracht on third and Roper on first. Prairie hit a sacrifice fly to deep center, which scored Ellebracht , moving the Jackets’ tally to 10-1.
Dickerson allowed two runs to score in the top of the fifth, inciting a pitching change for the Jackets. Sophomore Brooke Barfield came into the circle with the score at 10-3 in favor of the Jackets. Barfield allowed one run and Tech came into the bottom half of the inning with the 10-4 lead.
Leading off in the bottom of the fifth, Krzus hit her third home run of the season over the scoreboard in left center to push the tally to 11-4. It was her second hit of the game and third run. She went four-for-four on the day with a single, two walks and a home run. Huckabay reached on a walk and freshman Skye Webb entered to pinch run for the sophomore at first base. Stanford stepped up to the plate and hit a home run to left field to score Webb and win the game in five innings for the Jackets at 13.-4.
Georgia Tech 3, La Salle 2
The White and Gold struck first, Roper hit a triple to right center to get on base. Prairie hit a shallow pop up just beyond the infield but an error on the Explorers’ shortstop landed her at first, scoring Roper to give Tech the 1-0 lead.
Senior Emily Anderson got the start in the circle for the Jackets. She held La Salle scoreless through four innings, throwing nine strikeouts before giving up two runs in the top of the fifth off a home run to left field, allowing the Explorers to take the lead at 2-1.
The score would stay 2-1 to the bottom of the seventh. Stanford knocked her second of the day out of left center to tie the score at 2-2. Sonnon stepped up to the plate and hit the second pitch over the left field fence to win the game with a walk-off home run.
Up next:
The Jackets play one last game in Buies Creek tomorrow, facing Campbell at 1:30 p.m.
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