Nationally-Ranked Georgia Tech Sweeps Furman Softball 5-0, 8-1
Greenville, S.C. ? The 24th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets limited Furman to just one run on 10 hits over two games to register a 5-0, 8-1 doubleheader sweep of the Lady Paladins in non-conference softball action Wednesday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
The sweep improved Georgia Tech to 34-12 on the season while Furman fell to 12-20-1.
Tiffany Johnson and Sarah Wood combined to toss a four-hit shutout in game one. Johnson fanned nine batters and allowed only two hits in five innings of work to improve to 14-5 in the circle.
With the game scoreless after four innings, the Yellow Jackets opened the fifth with a Blair Shimandle single and Stephanie Butler double. Aileen Morales drove in the game’s first run on a groundout to second. After a walk and a fielder’s choice, Savannah Brown blasted a two-out, three-run homer to left field to up the lead to 4-0.
Shimandle went 3-for-3 while Brown went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Whitney Haller also collected two hits for the Yellow Jackets.
Furman starter Lana Mackey suffered the loss for the Lady Paladins after allowing four runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings. Centerfielder Amber Kiser collected two hits to pace the Lady Paladins.
In game two, Georgia Tech used six hits and a Furman error to plate six runs in the second inning on its way to an 8-1 victory.
Leading 1-0 in the top of the second, the Yellow Jackets notched four straight singles with one out. After an error by Mackey at first, Haller cleared the bases with a three-run double to left-center field.
Furman loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom half of the inning, but scored just one run on a two-out single by Amber Kiser.
Whitney Humphreys gave up only one run on five hits in five innings to earn the win and improve to 14-5 in the circle. Brown and Morales each collected two hits to lead Georgia Tech’s 11-hit attack.
Blake Murray (6-10) suffered the loss allowing five earned runs on seven hits in just 1.1 innings of work. Reliever Vanessa Williams pitched 5.2 innings of effective relief without surrendering an earned run.
Brythe Blakenship went 2-for-3 with a run while Kiser went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Furman continues its homestand with a three-game Southern Conference series against the Elon Phoenix on Friday and Saturday. First pitch for Saturday’s doubleheader is slated for 2 p.m.
GEORGIA PITCHING ON DISPLAY IN SWEEP OF GSU SOFTBALL
ATHENS, Ga. --- The Georgia softball team blanked Georgia Southern twice, sweeping the Eagles 6-0 and 3-0 Wednesday afternoon at the Georgia Softball Complex.
UGA, who just fell out of the top 25 this week, improves to 31-16. GSU drops to 17-21.
Game 1: Georgia 6, Georgia Southern 0
Georgia took a 2-0 lead in the first without the benefit of a hit.
Kellie Middleton was hit by a pitch and stole second and third while Charvi Greer reached first on a wild pitch. After a walk and a strikeout, Middleton and Greer scored on a groundout a subsequent error.
The Bulldogs doubled their lead in the third on a two-run homer by Megan McAllister and added two more in the fifth on a RBI double by Melissa Wood and a run-scoring groundout by Kristin Schnake.
“I don’t feel like we played the way that we should have played the first game,” said GSU head coach Natalie Poole. “We prepared for their type of offense, but we didn’t handle it the way I had hoped.”
Christie Hamilton struck out 11 and allowed just one hit for the win (10-8). Junior Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) fanned six and gave up five hits and five earned runs (6-8).
“(Hamilton) did a good job throwing against us and had a tough changeup to hit,” said Poole.
Game 2: Georgia 3, Georgia Southern 0
The Bulldogs scratched across single runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings, but left the bases loaded each time. Sojourner Moody gave Georgia all the offense they would need when she drove home Greer with a single.
“In the second game, we did a better job of handling ourselves defensively. We still allowed runners to get into scoring position that we shouldn’t have, but I felt like we played them better defensively and pitched pretty well to keep us in the ballgame.”
Georgia’s Kasi Carroll (19-4) struck out six and walked none with four hits allowed. Senior Logan Free (Sandpoint, Idaho) walked seven (three
intentionally) and was charged with all three runs in 5.2 innings of work.
“We’re still having trouble stringing some hits together to manufacture runs, and that’s a little frustrating,” Poole added.
The Eagles take a day off before resuming Southern Conference play Friday with a doubleheader at the College of Charleston.
Cougars Outslug S.C. State
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The College of Charleston banged out a combined 25 hits as the Cougars took both ends of a softball non-conference doubleheader from South Carolina State - 8-0 in five innings and 8-0 in six innings - before 131 at Patriots Point Field on Wednesday afternoon.
The College of Charleston, which improved to 18-17 overall, will host Georgia Southern on Apr. 6 in a Southern Conference doubleheader at 4 p.m. and on Apr. 7 in single game at 1 p.m.
Shannon Howard improved to 5-7 in the circle with her one-hit shutout in Game 1. She had a career-high 10 strikeouts and walked two in five innings. Janae Palmer, who scattered 10 hits, walked three and gave up eight runs - five of which were unearned, fell to 1-14 on the season.
Jennifer Golden led the 10-hit offensive attack on 3-for-3 hitting. She scored a run and chased in two. Amber Shifflett and Izmena Cabrera had two hits apiece, while Terri Mesko, Kolby Schooley and Katie Peasture, who hit her second career homer, each had a hit.
Krystal Anthony had the lone hit for the Lady Bulldogs.
Charleston continued its attack in the second game as the Cougars banged out 15 more hits.
Freshman Christina Mascarenaz, who started the game hitting .111 on the season, finished 3-for-3 at the plate, including a RBI-single for the winning run.
A. Shifflett and Golden went for 3-for-4 at the plate. Shifflett scored three runs and batted in two, while Golden scored a run and batted in a run. Pesature was 2-for-4, and Kristie Shifflett, Terri Mesko, Katie Sansouci and Brittany Small each had a hit.
Sansouci gave up six hits and struck out three in six innings of work, improving to 5-3 on the season. TraTreka Polite (0-16) took the loss. She struck out three and walked three in 5 2/3 innings of work
Emerald Freeman and Tifanie Lewis had two hits apiece, while Chanelle Thompson and Darneshia Ross had a hit apiece for South Carolina State.
LADY MOCS REBOUND IN GAME TWO TO DEFEAT JACKSONVILLE STATE 3-0
Jacksonville, Ala. ? Freshman pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) moved up to ninth all-time in career shutouts with seven and seventh all-time in career strikeouts with 189 on Wednesday night in Chattanooga’s 3-0 win over Jacksonville State.
Loudermilk picked up her 14th win of the season in game two, improving her record to 14-8, throwing eight strikeouts and only giving up three hits.
Chattanooga (24-21, 5-1 SoCon) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first on three hits by senior left fielder Jeannie Cochran (Maryville, Tenn.), senior first baseman Alyssa Edwards (Geneva, N.Y.) and sophomore third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.)
Senior second baseman Brittney Whittier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) picked up her second double of the day in the top of the fourth scoring junior right fielder Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.) who reached on a lead off single making the score 3-0 after four.
Edwards belted out another double in the top of the fifth with two-outs and was replaced by freshman pinch runner Nicole D’Apice (Knoxville, Tenn.) but was thrown out at third for the final out of the inning.
Sophomore designated player Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) reached scoring position after being walked in the top of the seventh, but was left on base as the inning retired.
Jacksonville State’s Daniela Pappano, Whitney Elder and Chrissy O’Neal picked up a hit each to lead the Gamecocks in game two.
In game one, the Gamecocks (18-14, 5-5 OVC) scored seven runs on seven hits and four walks. The 7-0 shutout was surged by Alana Hicks’ three-run homer in the bottom of the third before scoring the other four runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Whittier had a double to center field in the top of the seventh, and the Lady Mocs picked up singles from freshman shortstop Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Edwards. Blosser extended her hitting streak to tie her career longest at seven games.
Senior pitcher Ashley Frizzell (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) threw five strikeouts but was charged with the loss making her record 9-9. Whittier made her second appearance of the season in the bottom of the fifth with one out, facing four batters.
Chattanooga heads to Cullowhee, N.C. on Friday for game one of the conference series against the Western Carolina Catamounts. Games two and three will be played on Saturday at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.