Softball wins FAU Tourney
By Stephen Marek / Student Publications
Tech softball is now ranked No. 16 in the nation and has won their first nine games of the season after defeating Furman on Wednesday.
Tech softball won the FAU Worth Invitational tournament this past Sunday by beating Bethune-Cookman 2-1 in eight innings of play. With the score at 1-1, junior Christine Sheridan drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the championship.
To start the top of the eighth inning, a runner was placed on second base for Bethune-Cookman because of the international tie-breaker rule. Tech intentionally walked the first batter to place runners on first and second with no outs. And the gamble paid off.
Tech turned a 5-3 double-play on the next batter. Katie Donovan fielded the ball and stepped on third base and threw out the batter to leave a runner on second with two outs. The next batter popped out to shortstop Sheridan to end the top of the eighth inning.
In Tech ' s half of the final inning, Aileen Morales was placed on second base and then was advanced to third off a Caitlin Lever sacrifice bunt. With one ball and a strike, Sheridan singled to right center field to drive in Morales for the game winning run.
There were just five hits in the game and no errors. Tech ' s Kirin Kumar and Savannah Brown got hits in addition to Sheridan ' s game-winning drive. Tech ' s defense allowed just two hits in the game.
Jessica Sallinger pitched the complete game for Tech and allowed two hits and one earned run. She was coming off a complete-game, seven-inning contest the day before against Florida Atlantic. Tech won that game 10-4 to qualify for the championship.
Tech ' s first two games of the tournament were played on Friday, Feb. 11. In the early contest, Tech downed Boston College 6-2. Sophomore Sarah Wood was the starting pitcher and went four innings giving up five hits and two runs, one earned and one unearned.
To start the fifth inning, freshman pitcher Whitney Humphreys entered the game with the score at 2-2 and picked up the win by giving up just two hits and no runs.
In the sixth inning, junior Liz Bartle hit a solo home run over the left field fence for the go-ahead run to put the Jackets on top 3-2. Bartle finished the game with two RBIs while Sheridan and Kacey Ivey each drove in one run.
In the second game Friday, Sallinger pitched her second shutout on the season and allowed just three hits as Tech downed Northwestern 3-0.
Sallinger is having another outstanding season. The All-American senior has not gone unnoticed by professional teams. She was recently selected ninth overall in the National Pro Fastpitch Senior Draft. The Tech standout will pitch for the NY/NJ Juggernauts after this season.
The undefeated Jackets play tomorrow at the Georgia State Invitational Tournament at 10 a.m.
