Georgia Tech Baseball Comes Up Short In Extra Innings vs Virginia 8-7
Georgia Tech was oh so close to getting the series win on the road today vs Virginia.
It looked like it was going to be a low scoring affair in Virginia, but the offenses came alive late for both teams. Virginia got up to a 7-2 lead, but not for long. Georgia Tech battled back to tie the game to send it to extra innings, but the Cavaliers were able to seal the deal in the 11th. Georgia Tech will look to win their second straight series vs a top-20 team when they face the Cavaliers tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
After run-ruling the No. 10 team in the country last night, Georgia Tech looked to get another impressive victory on the road vs Virginia this afternoon. The Yellow Jackets are starting to put together an impressive NCAA resume and looked to continue that today in Charlottesville, but they fell short.
Let's recap today's game.
Here was the starting lineup for the Yellow Jackets, with Cam Jones on the mound:
1. LF Trey Yunger
2. CF Drew Burress
3.C Matthew Ellis
4. P Cam Jones
5. 1B John Giesler
6. SS Payton Green
7. RF Parker Brosius
8. 2B Carson Kerce
9.3B Ryan Jaros
Both teams issued walks in the first inning, but the offenses could not get going and bring them in. They went into the 2nd inning tied 0-0. The 2nd inning started with a leadoff double from Green and then he got to third on a passed ball. Georgia Tech was in a great position to take an early lead. After Brosius flew out, Kerce flew out to score Green and the first run of the game. Georgia Tech went into the bottom of the second inning with a 1-0 lead.
The lead did not last long.
Virginia hit a leadoff homerun in the bottom of the second to make it a 1-1 game. Virginia briefly took the momentum in the game but it was not long before the Yellow Jackets got it back.
Burres flew out to start the third inning, but then Ellis walked to give Georgia Tech a base runner. Jones then flew out, but Giesler was hit by a pitch to give Georgia Tech two runners on with two outs and Green was back up to bat. Green knocked in a runner with an RBI single and Georgia Tech was back up 2-1 going to the bottom of the third.
It was tense in the bottom of the third. Virginia got back to back one out singles to give them runners in scoring position. Cam Jones was able to get out of the jam though and the Yellow Jackets kept the lead going to the 4th.
Three scoreless innings from Georgia Tech, Virginia got the lead back in the bottom of the 6th. After Jones hit a batter and then gave up a single, his day was done. He pitched five innings, allowed four hits, and gave up three earned runs while striking out three batters. Dawson Brown took over for him and got off to as bad of a start as you could have imagined. He gave up a three-run home run for Virginia to take the lead and all of a sudden, Georgia Tech was in trouble for the first time all weekend.
Brown gave up a single and then walked a batter before Danny Hall decided to make a another pitching change. Michal Kovala came in, but he did not have a good start. A fielding error scored two more runs to make it 6-2 and then a sac fly made it 7-2. It looked like the Cavaliers were on their way to a blowout win.
Georgia Tech was not going to go quietly though.
After Jaros reached on a throwing error and Yunger walked, Burress hit an RBI single to make it 7-3 and then Ellis hit a big 2-RBI single to cut the lead to two runs 7-5. Georgia Tech scored another run before the inning was over and right after falling behind five runs, they were down just one going to the bottom of the 7th.
Brett Thomas came in at the bottom of the inning and got three strikeouts to move the game to the 8th.
It looked like Georgia Tech was about to grab the lead at the top of the inning. Becchetti had a leadoff double and then Yunger singled to put runners on the corner. Then, the worst case scenario happened. Burress hit into a double play and then Ellis flew out. Georgia Tech was only going to have one more inning to try and score a run. Thomas got through the bottom of the 8th and it was setting up for a Georgia Tech comeback in the 9th.
The 9th inning started off with a leadoff single from Jones and after Giesler got down 0-2, he was hit by a pitch and Georgia Tech had runners on first and second with no outs. Green bunted to advance the runners, but he was out at first. Zmarzlak stepped up to the plate with runners on second and third with one out. Zmarzlak grounded out, but not before scoring Jones and getting Giesler to third. It was a tied game and Carson Kerce was coming up with two outs. He struck out to end the inning, but Georgia Tech was right back in it.
Thomas pitched a solid bottom of the 9th. He gave up a leadoff single, but worked around it and got the game to extra innings. Georgia Tech was going to have the top of its lineup back at the plate.
Neither offense could get it going to start extra innings, but Virginia got it done at the bottom of the 11th, scoring the game winning run and taking down Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets fought back and got in the game, but could not take advantage of some opportunities in front of them.