PITTSBURGH – Georgia Tech softball (21-20, 4-12 ACC) was unable to hang on in extras against Pitt (19-17, 3-9 ACC), falling 10-9 (8) on Friday at Vartabedian Field. The Yellow Jackets took a one-run lead in the top of the seventh, scoring a pair before the Panthers evened the tally in the bottom half and escaped in the eighth.
As nine different Jackets picked up a hit in the contest, sophomore second baseman Grace Connelly was the most efficient at the dish, going 2-for-3. Four donning the White and Gold swung on for doubles, most notably junior slugger Sara Beth Allen with a bases-clearing rocket that catapulted Tech in front in the fourth and sophomore designated player Emma Minghini with an RBI shot opposite field that put the Yellow Jackets on top in the seventh.
Senior hurler Chandler Dennis (11-6) shouldered the bulk of the load in the circle, tossing 5.2 innings and receiving the loss. Fellow senior right hander Blake Neleman received the start, going 1.1 innings.
How it Happened
Georgia Tech got on the board in its first opportunity as sophomore outfielder Madison Dobbins led off the game with a double, setting up an RBI single by junior third baseman Mallorie Black.
Pitt made a strong push in response in the bottom of the second, tallying six runs on three swings for two-RBI apiece.
Trailing 6-1, the White and Gold began to climb back in the top of the third, drawing a run closer on a double steal with runners on the corners.
In the following frame, Georgia Tech put together a monster inning of its own, scoring five runs to jump back in front. With the bases loaded by way of a single by Connelly, a double by junior shortstop Jin Sileo and a dinged batter, senior catcher Emma Kauf swatted a single to shallow left that scored a pair. A walk followed to clog the base path once more for Allen, who drove a bases-clearing double to the right-field wall for a 7-6 Tech advantage.
The Panthers took their turn reclaiming the lead of the back-and-forth affair in the fifth, shooting a two-RBI double to the gap for an 8-7 lead.
After a scoreless sixth, the Yellow Jackets took their turn snatching the lead back once down to their final three outs in the top of the seventh. A leadoff walk and following single by first baseman Abby Hughes put a pair on with no outs, allowing a sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position. A wild pitch then resulted in the tying run as freshman pinch runner Paige Vukadinovich came home, and designated player Emma Minghini…
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