April 29, 2005

Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland softball team won the second game of its doubleheader with No. 17/18 Georgia Tech Friday night at the Terrapin Softball Complex, 2-1. Crystal Rizzuto's fifth-inning double led to the game-winning run for Maryland, while Jessica Aditays and Abbey Welch combined to one-hit the Yellow Jackets. Earlier in the day, Maryland dropped the first game, 3-2, in 11 innings.

In game one, Maryland got eight hits off of Tech pitcher Jessica Sallinger, the most the All-America pitcher has given up this season. Crystal Tweedy led off the game with a walk, and crossed home plate after Lindsay Klein's eighth double of the year to right field.

Georgia Tech fought back in the third inning, scoring runs on an Aileen Morales RBI single and Christine Sheridan sacrifice fly.

Maryland tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning, again on the strength of Klein's bat. Tweedy led off the inning with an infield single and advanced to second base on a passed ball. The next batter, Klein, notched her second RBI of the game with a single through the left side and tied the game.

The score remained knotted until the 11th inning, when Georgia Tech had runners on second and third base with two outs. Abbey Welch entered the circle to relieve Terp starter Crystal Crews, and was charged with an illegal pitch while facing Aileen Morales. Each runner was awarded a base and Kacey Ivey crossed home plate and put Georgia Tech up, 3-2.

Although Nneka Cardoza reached first base on a throwing error by Yellow Jacket shortstop Christine Sheridan and Jenny Belak singled, the Terps could not put any more runs on the board in their half of the 11th inning and lost by a final score of 3-2.

With the win, Georgia Tech clinched the regular-season ACC title and No. 1 seed at the conference tournament.

Crews was charged with the loss for Maryland, and her record dropped to 4-7. Sarah Wood (15-2) got the win for Georgia Tech, as she relieved Sallinger in the eighth inning.

Tweedy, Belak and Klein all notched two hits apiece for the Terps, while Klein had two RBI. Cardoza had a hit and two stolen bases, and Lauren Pollock and Crystal Rizzuto also had hits for Maryland in game one.

Jenny Belak led off the bottom of the first inning in game two with her second triple of the year to left-center field. Lindsay Klein followed up with an RBI double and gave Maryland a 1-0 lead. From there, Jessica Aditays allowed one run and one hit in five innings of work and struck out seven.

In the bottom of the fifth inning with the score tied, 1-1, Crystal Rizzuto hit a one-out double to left-center field and crossed home plate after a dropped fly ball off the bat of Nneka Cardoza.

Welch again entered the game in relief, and this time earned her team-high third save of the year while allowing no hits and striking out two. Aditays was credited with the win for Maryland and improved to 8-3 on the season. Sarah Wood dropped to 15-3 for Georgia Tech.

With the second-game victory, Maryland snapped a 12-game Yellow Jacket win streak in the series and improved its conference record to 5-9 (23-18 overall). Georgia Tech, meanwhile, is now 11-4 in the conference and 45-11 overall.

The Terps and Yellow Jackets will play the final game of the series Saturday at 1 p.m.