Georgia Tech's Offense Comes Alive Late to Win Game One vs Cornell
After a midweek win vs Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech Baseball came into their series opener against Cornell with optimism they could get to 5-0 and keep winning. The offense has been good through the first four games and more importantly, for the Yellow Jackets, the pitching has been very good to start. They have not been giving up runs in bunches so far and that has perhaps been the biggest takeaway from the very early part of the season.
Camron Hill was the starter for Georgia Tech this afternoon and he showcased his talent. Hill had a shaky 2023 season, but his talent has always been there and the hope was that with a new pitching coach, he would unlock some of that potential.
Here was the lineup for Georgia Tech today:
1. CF Drew Burress
2. C Matthew Ellis
3. SS Payton Green
4. LF Cam Jones
5. 1B John Giesler
6. DH Bobby Zmarzlak
7. 3B Carson Kerce
8. Mike Becchetti
9. RF Parker Brosius
The first inning was not super crisp for Hill though. A double and two walks loaded the bases. With two outs and the bases loaded, Hill surrendered his third walk of the inning and it turned into a run for Cornell. Georgia Tech got the run back though with an RBI triple from Payton Green at the bottom of the inning though and it was 1-1.
Hill then proceeded to throw two straight innings with no hits. Georgia Tech would go back to work on offense in the third and an opportunity to take the lead.
A leadoff single from Cam Jones gave Georgia Tech an early baserunner in the third. Jones stole second, putting him into scoring position, and then an RBI single from Bobby Zmarzlak gave Georgia Tech a 2-1 lead.
Neither team scored a run in the fourth and that would be the final inning from Hill. He pitched four innings, allowed one hit, walked three batters, and struck out seven.
Camren Landry came in to replace Hill and it was a shaky stint on the mound for him. He gave up two singles but also had two early outs. He just needed to find a way to get out of the inning without giving up any runs, but an RBI single tied the game 2-2 and that was it for Landry. Brett Thomas came in to replace him and he immediately gave up a 2RBI single that gave Cornell a 4-2 lead.
After a quiet inning from both teams in the sixth inning, Cornell added to the lead.
A pair of walks put two runners on base and then an RBI single brought in Cornell's fifth run to make it 5-2. Walks and two-out hits were Georgia Tech's enemy tonight and that gave Cornell the advantage. Time was running out on the Yellow Jackets to make a run.
Cornell walked two batters to start the seventh inning and Cam Jones got to third due to a wild pitch. Georgia Tech had runners on the corners with one out. Kerce was then able to reach base due to a fielder's choice and that brought a run in to make it 5-3. Becchetti walked the next batter to load the bases up for the Yellow Jackets and then Cornell proceeded to make a pitching change.
After a strikeout from Brosius, Burress came up to the plate with two outs. He brought all three runners in with a 3-RBI double that gave Georgia Tech a 6-5 lead. Burress has been awesome to start this season and he was the guy Georgia Tech wanted at the plate in that moment. Ellis grounded out to end the inning, but Georgia Tech finally had a lead again.
Terry Busse would come out to pitch in the 8th. Busse walked the first batter to give Cornell a base runner but did get two outs right after that. In getting those outs though, the runner was able to advance to third and give Cornell a chance to tie the game. Despite walking another batter, Busse got the last guy out and the Yellow Jackets were three outs away from starting the season 5-0.
Payton Green was the leadoff hitter for GT in the bottom of the 8th and he extended the lead for the Yellow Jackets courtesy of a solo home run.
That was not it for the Georgia Tech offense though. Jones walked, then stole second, but got to advance to third due to a bad throw. Giesler came up to bat next and hit Georgia Tech's second home run of the inning to give them a 9-5 lead.
Georgia Tech did not add any other runs after that, but they went to the top of the ninth inning with a 9-5 lead. Terry Busse was replaced by Michal Kovala.
They gave up one more run, but Georgia Tech won the game and moved to 5-0. It took a while for the offense to get going and the pitching was far from perfect, but a win is a win.
The Yellow Jackets go for the series win tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.
Follow us on social media for the latest news on Georgia Tech Athletics!
Facebook: All Yellow Jackets
Twitter: @AllYellowJacket