Feb. 23, 2014
THE FLATS – The Georgia Tech softball team used 13 runs on 15 hits en route to victories against Stony Brook, 8-4, and Georgia State, 5-1, Sunday on the final day of the GT-KSU Invite at Mewborn Field. The Jackets improved to 10-2 on the season, while the Seawolves fell to 0-5 and the Panthers dropped to 6-4.
“We came off of a good win yesterday,” head coach Shelly Hoerner said. “That win was great, but we had to stay within ourselves. We got behind against Stony Brook, but our perseverance and will power got us through. It was a good day at the plate for Hayley Downs and Chelsie Thomas, and they got us going with their speed.”
Hayley Downs was 4-for-6 (.667) to lead Georgia Tech with three runs and two stolen bases. Chelsie Thomas added three runs and two stolen bases. Alysha Rudnik went 3-for-7 with two runs, a double and a home run, while Karly Fullem (2-for-6) added a run and two doubles. On the day, the Jackets hit six doubles, a home run and four stolen bases for 24 total bases.
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Game 1: Georgia Tech 8, Stony Brook 4
Stony Brook jumped out with two runs on three hits in the opening frame. The Jackets’ bats came alive in the fourth inning with back-to-back doubles courtesy of Fullem and Katie Johnsky. Fullem scored on Johnsky’s double, and Chelsie Thomas singled and stole second to make it two on and two outs.
Maddie Lionberger stepped to the plate and ripped a two-RBI single to center to plate Johnsky and Chelsie Thomas. An error on Ashley Thomas’ grounder scored Lionberger and gave the Jackets a 4-2 lead.
Stony Brook countered with two runs in the top of the fifth to knot it, 4-4. Georgia Tech put up another four-spot in the sixth inning to take the final, 8-4, lead thanks to a double by Morgan Taylor, single from Chelsie Thomas and a three-run homer from Rudnik; her second long ball of the season.
Freshman Kanani Cabrales (3-2) picked up the win with four runs on eight hits and four strikeouts in a complete-game effort.
Stony Brook’s Allison Cukrov (0-4) took the loss with five runs on six hits in 2.1 innings pitched.
Game 2: Georgia Tech 5, Georgia State 1
The duo of Rudnik and Downs scored Georgia Tech’s first three runs in game two. In the opening stanza, Downs drew a walk and Rudnik’s double to left scored Downs from first. In the third inning with two outs, Downs legged out an infield single, stole second and scored courtesy of a single to left from Rudnik.
Fullem ripped her second double of the day to plate Rudnik and scored on a single off the bat of Johnsky. The Jackets tacked on another run in the sixth inning as Maddie Lionberger’s double off the left-field wall scored Chelsie Thomas to give Tech a 5-1 lead.
The Panthers got on the board in the bottom of the third with one run on one hit. That was all for Georgia State, as Yellow Jacket pitcher Kylie Kleinschmidt (6-0) allowed just four hits, one unearned run and struck out seven batters.
Starter Kaitlyn Medlam (3-3) suffered the loss with four runs on five hits in three innings pitched.
The Jackets are back in action March 1-2 when they begin ACC play with a three-game series against Boston College at Mewborn Field. Action begins Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m., and Saturday’s doubleheader will be aired on ESPN3.
