Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — February | Box Score | Boxscore
ATLANTA – The University of Iowa softball team dropped a 6-5 decision to host Georgia Tech in its final game of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Sunday afternoon.
“We did a nice job of continuing to fight back today,” said UI head coach Marla Looper. “We scored five runs and we continued to battle. We are talking about winning each inning, and of seven innings, we won four. Unfortunately, the three were the ones that kind of bit us a little bit.”
Angela Schmiederer went 2-for-3 with one run, while McKenzie Schnieder was 1-for-2. Claire Fritsch, Allie Wood, and Devin Cantu also chipped in hits. Allison Doocy had four strikeouts over 2.2 innings as she suffered the loss.
“My coaching staff did a nice job, this whole weekend, really, of trying to play to our strengths and counter our opponent. We are going to get one of these. I know it. I believe in this group. I believe in these young ladies and the time, effort, and energy they’ve put in. They have the want and the will and it will happen. We just have to keep fighting for it.”
The Hawkeyes jumped on the board early with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Lea Thompson walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a Georgia Tech (3-7) error, and scored on a Kaitlyn Mullarkey ground out. Georgia Tech answered as Samantha Pierannunzi hit a three-RBI double in the second inning before Kendall Chadwick added a solo home run in the third.
Iowa cut into Georgia Tech’s lead in the bottom of the third. Schmiederer singled up the middle and moved to third as Thompson reached first and advanced to second on an error. Fritsch then hit a two-RBI single through the right side to shorten The Yellow Jackets’ lead to 4-3.
Georgia Tech extended its lead in the top of the fifth inning as Malea Bell hit a two-RBI home run over left field, but the Hawkeyes responded with an Allie Wood solo shot in the bottom of the inning. Iowa added to its score in the sixth inning as Alex Rath walked, advanced to third on a single by Schmiederer, and scored on a wild pitch.
“We have a week and a half before we play again,” said Looper, whose team dropped its fourth consecutive one-run game. “We don’t typically take a weekend off, and it will give us a chance to regroup and gather ourselves. I think this will be nice. We will get back at it and work hard this week as we continue to build. Then we’ll hit the road to Cal State Fullerton and do our best to take care of business out there.”
Iowa (2-8) takes the field against No. 1 Florida at 2 p.m. (CT) on March 2 in game one of the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California.