Freshman Grace Connelly blasted a walk off, two-run homerun to seal the mercy-rule victory in six
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech softball (5-0) maintained its flawless record cruising to a 9-1, mercy-rule triumph over Mercer (1-5) on Tuesday at Mewborn Field. Four Jackets batted .500 or better as junior ace Blake Neleman pitched another gem of a complete game with eight strikeouts through six innings while allowing just one run. Freshman infielder Grace Connelly sealed the game with her first collegiate hit in the form of a walk off, two-run dinger.
The Yellow Jackets wasted no time getting going as sophomore third baseman Mallorie Black began her perfect day at the plate with an RBI single in the bottom of the first, driving in graduate first baseman Tricia Awald. Shortly after, Tech’s RBI leader and freshman utility player Emma Minghini drove in Black with a single to center field.
Tech continued to build on its lead in the second as Black singled once again, this time for two RBI to give the White and Gold a 4-0 lead. Minghini added another RBI to her season tally in the bottom of the fourth, sending in Awald. Sophomore shortstop Jin Sileo followed with a sac fly to score Black and boost the Tech advantage to 6-0.
In the fifth, the Jackets continued to incrementally approach mercy-rule territory as junior catcher Emma Kauf hammered a solo shot over center field. Mercer broke the shutout with a run of their own in the top of the sixth, but Georgia Tech put the nail in the coffin in the bottom half as Connelly iced things with a two-run bomb for a 9-1 victory in favor of the White and Gold in six innings.
Game Notes
- Following Tuesday’s drubbing, Georgia Tech has outscored its opponents 37-9 this season.
- Black was perfect at the plate, going 2-for-2 with three RBI as well as a pair of runs scored and walks.
- Kauf laced her first homerun of the season as she finished 2-for-4, also picking up a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
- Awald stayed solid going 2-for-3 with a double, a couple of runs scored and a walk.
- Minghini has reached double digit RBI as she leads the team this season with 10. On the night, she added a pair as she went 2-for-4.
- Connelly entered the game in the bottom of the third before notching her first career hit, a two-run blast to walk it off.
- Neleman tossed six innings, racking up six strikeouts in the first two innings alone before finishing with eight while allowing just one run. On the season, Tech’s No. 1 in the circle owns 27 strikeouts with just two runs allowed through 18 innings of work.
- On the season, Awald continues to hold the best average at the dish for the Jackets (.667) while Kauf owns the most hits with 10.
Up Next
Georgia Tech will hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to the Bulldog Kickoff Classic hosted by Mississippi State Friday through Sunday in Starkville, Miss.
