The Tech softball team improved its record to 19-2 with six wins in five days. Over the weekend, Tech traveled to Woodstock, Ga. to take part in the Buzz Classic. In the tournament, the Jackets won all five of their games, including two wins over SEC opponents.
On Friday, March 5, the Jackets defeated Seton Hall 16-0 in only five innings.
The Jackets put up big offensive numbers throughout the game, but the key to Tech’s success was the performance of sophomore starting pitcher Jessica Coan. Coan pitched the first four innings of the game for the Jackets and only gave up one hit while striking out 10 batters.
In the top of the first inning, redshirt senior Jen Yee drew a walk and freshman designated player Hope Rush drilled the first pitch she saw for a two-run homer.
In the second, Yee continued to have solid at bats when she hit an RBI single. Junior first baseman Kristine Priebe also had two RBIs in the inning as part of a three-run inning pushing Tech’s lead to 5-0.
The Jackets blew the game wide open in the fourth inning by scoring seven runs. With the bases loaded, junior catcher Jessica Weaver came into pinch hit for sophomore Kate Kuzma and hit a triple, scoring all three runners on base.
The Jackets played two different opponents on Saturday, March 6 and defeated them by a combined score of 17-3.
The Jackets played James Madison in the first game and needed six innings this time before the mercy rule ended the game 11-0.
Junior pitcher Kristen Adkins started the game for the Jackets only giving up two hits and one walk in six innings pitched. Adkins moved to 4-0 with her second shutout of the season.
The game was scoreless until the top of the third inning. Yee, Rush and Priebe all singled to load the bases and Adkins hit a sac-fly to plate Yee. Sophomore third baseman Danielle Dike singled to left scoring another run and giving the Jackets a 2-0 lead.
The Jackets got two homers in the sixth with Rush’s eighth of the season and Dike’s second of the game en route to the 11-0 victory.
In Tech’s second game of the day and third of the tournament, the Jackets defeated No. 23 Kentucky 6-3.
Yee got the Jackets off to a fast start by hitting a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning.
Kentucky tied the game in the third inning and had a chance to take the lead in the fourth, getting a runner in scoring position with no outs. However, Rush got out of the fourth inning jam by getting a strikeout and two fly outs.
Kentucky was able to take the lead in the fifth inning with a pair of two-out runs, but Tech re-took the lead in the bottom of the inning. Junior center fielder Christy Jones hit a two-out single and sophomore shortstop Kelsi Weseman walked to put Jones into scoring position. Then Yee hit her second home run of the game to give the Jackets the lead 4-3.
The Jackets added a couple of insurance runs in the sixth inning and Rush shut down the Wildcats in the seventh to improve her record to 8-2.
Tech played two more games on Sunday, March 7, defeating Dartmouth 8-1 and Ole Miss 1-0.
Yee hit another first inning solo home run against Dartmouth to give Tech an early 1-0 lead.
Tech kept the momentum going in the second inning with an RBI single by Weseman.
Tech loaded the bases in the fourth inning before Rush hit a single that scored two runs.
Coan gave up her only hit of the game in the fourth inning when Dartmouth’s Leigha Clarkson hit a home run to put Dartmouth on the scoreboard.
Tech added a few more runs to give Coan her fifth win of the season and Adkins pitched the final three innings for her first save of the season.
Tech played Ole Miss in the second game of the day, and it turned out to be a pitchers’ dual with both teams only combining for four hits.
The only run of the game came in the third inning when Yee and Rush walked, setting up an RBI single for Jordan.
Rush would not need any more support as she only gave up two hits in seven innings and struck out five hitters.
Tech finished off the week by defeating Georgia State on Tuesday, March 9. The Jackets traveled to Panthersville and defeated their inter-city rival 7-3.
Adkins started the game for the Jackets and gave up three unearned runs on seven hits and four walks. Coan came into the game in the fifth inning and recorded her first save of the season.
Weseman led off the game with a double and Yee and Rush both walked to load the bases. A wild pitch would score the first run of the game for the Jackets. Sophomore right fielder Jessica Sinclair hit a three-run homer later in the inning to give the Jackets a 5-0 lead.
The Panthers would score three runs to pull within two, but the Jackets added two insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings to preserve the victory.