May 22, 2005

Box Score

ATHENS, Ga. - Michelle Green (26-3) threw five shutout innings and the eighth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (54-13) scored two runs with two outs in the first inning to defeat No. 17 Georgia Tech (51-14), 2-1, in the NCAA Athens Regional Championship game on Sunday. Senior Jessica Sallinger (28-9) worked six strong innings for the Yellow Jackets, scattering five hits and allowing two earned runs, while striking out six.

"It's always tough when you end your season on a loss," said head coach Ehren Earleywine. "But, we had a great season and these girls should be really proud of what they accomplished (ACC regular season and tournament champions). The seniors did everything but make it to a World Series, and that was our third goal, but it didn't happen.

"It's unfortunate that we weren't playing our best softball at the end of the season, especially offensively, but we fought hard and gave it everything we had today."

Freshman Savannah Brown, junior Amy Hosier, sophomore Caitlin Lever and junior Christine Sheridan each had hits for the Yellow Jackets. Tech ends the season with 51 wins, the second most in program history (52 in 2002) and set a new school record with a .780 winning percentage in 2005.

The Bulldogs' Green and Kasi Carroll combined for a shutout, allowing three hits between them. Carroll picks up her seventh save of the season for UGA.

The Bulldogs scored the only runs of the game in the bottom of the first inning as Megan McAllister hit a bloop single just out of reach of Tech second baseman Kirin Kumar in shallow right field and Michelle Green drove in the second run of the inning with two outs on a base hit to center field as the Yellow Jackets trailed 2-0 after one.

The Yellow Jackets managed a threat in the top of the third inning as juniors Amy Hosier and Christine Sheridan singled, but Tech was turned away by Green with a strikeout and a ground out.

Brown doubled down the right field line and senior Katie Donovan drew a one-out walk to put Jackets at first and second in the top of the seventh inning. The Jackets scored an unearned run on a throwing error by the UGA second baseman as she tried to turn a double play and overshot the first baseman as the deficit was cut to one, 2-1. Carroll retired the final out of the seventh with a strikeout to advance the Bulldogs to the NCAA Super Regional next weekend.

-GT SOFTBALL-