ATLANTA — The Georgia Tech softball team received another strong pitching performance, but failed to get on the boards as the North Carolina Tar Heels shut out the Yellow Jackets, 2-0, Saturday afternoon at Glenn Field.
Freshman pitcher Erin Voeltz allowed just one earned run on five hits and a walk. But the Yellow Jacket bats remained cold as UNC claimed the victory.
Carolina scored first with an unearned run in the fourth inning. With one out, UNC leftfielder Emily Price doubled to center field. First baseman Beth Olen then hit a ball back to the pitcher’s mound which Voeltz was unable to handle and Price advanced to third. She scored on a sacrifice fly to centerfield by designated player Kelly Ramsey.
Georgia Tech had a chance to tie the game at 1 in the bottom of the fifth when senior second baseman Ellen Styer led off with her third double of the year. But she was stranded at second as UNC pitcher Radara McHugh got Tech leftfielder Jennifer Biggers to pop up and struck out Tasha Waugh and Erin Glantz.
North Carolina expanded its lead in the sixth inning, when catcher Natalie Anter hit her second home run in the last two games over the leftfield fence to put the Tar Heels up 2-0.
For the second-straight inning, the Yellow Jackets’ leadoff batter reached base when centerfielder Kori Jacobson led off the sixth with an infield single. But she was thrown out trying to steal second and the Jackets were unable to make anything happen.
McHugh, who improved to 18-10 on the year, allowed just two hits and three walks while striking out seven Tech batters. She allowed just one Tech batter to reach second base as she picked up her 10th shutout of the year. Despite allowing just one earned run, Voeltz fell to 11-15.
Georgia Tech (23-25, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) and North Carolina (29-17-1, 3-2 ACC) will meet again tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. at Glenn Field in the Yellow Jackets’ final home game of the year.
