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Georgia Tech Softball: Jackets Swept in Doubleheader to Start 2020 Season

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 10: Cheerleaders fly a flag for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets against the Clemson Tigers at Bobby Dodd Stadium on September 10, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 10: Cheerleaders fly a flag for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets against the Clemson Tigers at Bobby Dodd Stadium on September 10, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Georgia Tech Softball didn’t get off to the start they hoped for on Friday as they were swept by UAB and Washington.

Game 1 vs UAB:

With a tough matchup against Washington looming later in the day, the Yellow Jackets would look for a win over the UAB Dragons on Friday morning. The Yellow Jackets sent their primary starter Morgan Bruce to the mound to start against UAB.

The Jackets grabbed the early lead against UAB thanks to a leadoff homerun from freshman catcher Emma Kauf in first career at-bat. The Dragons would grab one back in the top of the third inning before the two teams traded runs in the fourth inning. After four innings, head coach Aileen Morales would pull Bruce in favor of Blake Neleman. The decision would not pay off as the Dragons would get four runs off Neleman in just 1.1 innings of work before Morales was forced to go back to the bullpen to Lexi Ray. Ray didn’t fare much better than Neleman, however, allowing three runs over 1.2 innings.

UAB would grab a 9-3 win over the Yellow Jackets, a disappointing way to begin their 2020 season. In their first game of the season, the Jackets bats never really woke up despite amassing 10 hits in the game. They struggled to move runners and struggled moving them across the plate with their 12 total base runners resulting in just three runs.

Game 2 vs No.1 Washington:

The Jackets took on one of the nation’s premier programs in game two of their doubleheader and found out why the Huskies are the nation’s top-ranked team. Morgan Bruce once again got the start in the game for the Yellow Jackets while the Huskies sent out one of the nation’s elite pitchers in Gabbie Plain.

Bruce lasted five innings in the start against the Huskies, allowing seven earned runs (eight total) over 12 hits and three walks. She struck out just two of the 29 Huskies she faced in the contest.

The Yellow Jackets battled back over the next few innings and was able to get the game within two, 6-4 entering the sixth inning but the Huskies once again thanks to a single and a fielders choice in the inning.The Huskies got out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning of Friday evening’s contest thanks to a double, a walk, and a pair of singles. The Yellow Jackets would grab a run back in the second inning to cut the lead to 3-1 but Washington would extend the lead in the top half of the third to 5-1.

In the seventh, the Huskies added three more runs by playing small ball once again. Plain, on the other hand, kept the Yellow Jackets bats quiet over the last three frames of play and would hand the Yellow Jackets an 11-4 loss and an 0-2 start on their season.

Georgia Tech softball will return to the diamond on Saturday with another double-header scheduled. They’ll once again take on No.1 Washington at 3:30 pm before taking on Furman at 6:00 p.m. They’ll finish up their opening weekend homestand on Sunday with a 12:30 pm contest against the Ohio Bobcats.