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Cavaliers Drop Doubleheader to No. 6 Georgia Tech
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ATLANTA – The Virginia softball team (23-16, 7-3 ACC) dropped a pair of games to No. 10/6 Georgia Tech (34-6, 10-1 ACC) Saturday at Mewborn Field. The Yellow Jackets took the first game 5-2 before rallying for three runs in the seventh to win game two, 5-3.
The Cavaliers took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh, facing the top of GT’s batting order. Senior Jen Yee led off with a home run, her second of the day and 21st of the season, to tie the game at three.
Then with one out, Kelsi Weseman doubled down the left field line before Kristine Priebe hit a two-run walk-off homer to give Georgia Tech the sweep.
GT outhit Virginia 9-4 in the second game. Nicole Koren led Virginia with a double while Sarah Tacke, Abby Snyder and Taylor Williams each contributed singles.
The Yellow Jackets were first to score when Hope Rush hit a solo shot to left to lead off the second inning. GT added another run in the top of the third on Kate Kuzman’s RBI double that scored Yee, who singled, to go up 2-0.
The Cavaliers were able to take the lead in the top of the sixth. Snyder led off with a single to right and stole second. Williams followed with a single up the middle and Giannina Cipolloni reached on a walk to load the bases. The next batter, Lauren McCaskey, also walked to score Snyder and cut the lead to 2-1.
Koren then recorded a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Williams on the play, as Cipolloni moved up to third on the play. Cipolloni came across to score on a GT passed ball to give Virginia a 3-2 advantage.
Freshman Melanie Mitchell took the loss in the circle, throwing 5 1/3 innings. She finished with seven strikeouts. Stephanie Coates also tossed an inning.
The Cavaliers dropped game one to the Yellow Jackets, 5-2. Both teams finished with six hits, including a double from Tacke and singles from McCaskey, Koren and Clara Kendall. Freshman Alex Skinkis recorded two singles for the Orange and Blue.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when Georgia Tech put up three runs. Virginia answered with two runs in the top of the sixth, thanks to an RBI single from Skinkis.
With one out, McCaskey singled to right. Koren reached base on a fielder’s choice as McCaskey was thrown out at second. With two outs, Tacke doubled to right center to put runners on second and third. Both Koren and Tacke scored when Skinkis singled to left and the GT lead was cut to one, 3-2.
But the Yellow Jackets kept the offense going in the top of the sixth. Jessica Sinclair led off the inning with a triple and later scored on a sac fly; Yee then homered to left center to give GT a 5-2 advantage.
Mitchell threw the first 5 2/3 innings and finished with seven strikeouts. Coates came on in the sixth and got the final out of the inning.
Rush tossed a complete game in the win for the Ramblin’ Wreck. She compiled eight strikeouts and did not walk a batter.
The series with the Yellow Jackets concludes at 1 p.m. Sunday.