March 17, 2017
THE FLATS – Tied 7-7 in the bottom of the 10th with two runners on, junior Malea Bell delivered the game-winning RBI-single to score Samantha Pierannunzi and give Georgia Tech softball (9-16, 3-4 ACC) the 8-7 win against Syracuse (15-9, 1-3 ACC) in the series opener.
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“Again, it goes back to resilience,” head coach Shelly Hoerner said. “I liked that we battled back and we fought in extra innings. They got base runners on and we shut them down and that says a lot about our defense and our pitching staff. I’m really proud of that. Malea [Bell] comes through in a clutch situation which was huge for us, especially since defensively she didn’t have the best day but she never gave up and she continued to battle. When you persevere and you are persistent, good things happen. I’m really proud of our team; it was a good team win for us.”
How It Happened
The Jackets took a 5-0 lead with a five-spot in the second highlighted by doubles from Colleen Darragh and Kelsey Chisholm.
Syracuse scored a pair of runs in the third and another run in the fifth to make it five three, but Tech plated a pair in the fifth to make it a 7-3 game. The Orange rallied with four runs in the seventh to force extra innings.
The teams battled through extra innings, but Tech finally broke through in the 10th. With one out, Samantha Pierannunzi and Jessica Kowalewicz singled, setting the stage for Bell, who drove a ball down the left-field line as Pierannunzi raced to score from second and give Tech the victory.
Emily Anderson (2-7) earned the win, throwing all 10 innings with six strikeouts. Syracuse reliever Sydney O’Hara (4-2) suffered the loss after throwing five innings and giving up the winning run.
Quick Hits
– The game marks the fourth extra inning game in ACC play for the Jackets and the longest game of the season thus far.
– The Jackets turned their 11th double play of the season in the game, which ties Syracuse for the second-most in the ACC.
– Pierannunzi drew a season-high three walks, while Chisholm drew a pair of walks.
– Pierannunzi, Darragh and Ellebracht each crossed the plate twice for Tech.
Up Next
The Jackets and Orange continue the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. on the ACC Network Extra.
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