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Cavs Down Georgia Tech in ACC Tourney Opener
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May 14, 1999
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The University of Virginia softball team openedplay in the 1999 Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Championships at LadySeminole Field. The tournament is being hosted by Florida StateUniversity. UVa, seeded #4, squared off against the fifth seeded GeorgiaTech Yellow Jackets in the first contest of the afternoon. Virginiaclaimed a 4-0 win to improve to 1-0 in the double elimination tournament.
After three scoreless innings of play, the Cavaliers jumped on thescoreboard first in the bottom of the fourth inning. Lori Reese (1-2, tworuns) started the inning off for Virginia with a single. Kristen Dennis(2-3, run) followed Reese’s lead with a single of her own which advancedReese to third base. One batter later, Karen Breshears (3-3, two RBI,double) hit an RBI single that scored Reese to give UVa a 1-0 lead. JenKrill (1-3, RBI, run) stepped to the plate and recorded the fourthconsecutive hit for the ‘Hoos by driving in Dennis on an RBI single to makeit a 2-0 lead. Meaghan Young (3-3, RBI) pushed Virginia out to a 3-0advantage when she hit a bases loaded RBI single to score Krill.
In the fifth inning, Reese started the Cavaliers off by reachingfirst base on an error by Georgia Tech’s shortstop Ellen Styer. She thenstole second base before advancing to third base on a Dennis single. Onebatter later, Breshears collected her third consecutive hit of the gamewith a beautifully executed bunt which scored Reese to give UVa a 4-0 lead.
The four runs posted by the Cavalier offense would be more thanenough for UVa to collect the victory, as Stacey Zagol threw a completegame shutout en route to her 11th win of the season. Zagol surrenderedonly four hits while posting six strikeouts in the game. Georgia Tech’sJamie Smith was the losing pitcher.
The win improves Virginia’s record to 33-24 overall. The lossdrops Georgia Tech’s record to 21-37 on the season. UVa will now advanceto play the Maryland Terrapins, who enter the tournament as the number oneseed. The contest is scheduled to be played at 7:00 p.m. at Lady SeminoleField. Georgia Tech will play the loser of the North Carolina vs. FloridaState game which begins at 5:00 p.m.