No. 11 Georgia Tech defeats No. 4 Georgia, 8-6
ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - In the most-attended college baseball game of 2019, 11th-ranked Georgia Tech defeated No. 4 Georgia 8-6 Tuesday night.
A season-high crowd of 18,861 filed into SunTrust Park to watch the series finale between the Bulldogs (33-9) and Yellow Jackets (28-13).
The Yellow Jackets (28-13) improved to 10-1 in the midweek games, downing the No. 4 Bulldogs (33-9) for their ninth win over top-25 teams and fifth victory over a top-5 team this season.
Offensively, Tech was led by Luke Waddell, who finished a home run shy of a natural cycle, hitting a single, double and a triple by the third inning. Kyle McCann also gave the Jackets an early jolt by blasting a three-run homer to the upper balcony of SunTrust’s Chop House.
The win clinched the season series for Tech with 2 wins, with the Bulldogs winning the game in Athens.
On the mound, Tech used six arms with RHP Cort Roedig getting the start and going three innings before RHP Hugh Chapman (1-0) received the win with 1.2 scoreless innings. RHP Tristin English slammed the door with 2.0 shutout innings to get his fifth save of the season.
UGA’s Tim Elliot (5-2) received the loss after allowing six runs on four hits in 1.1 innings.
Junior RHP Logan Moody turned in three innings of scoreless relief to close out the game, but Georgia could not regain the lead.
“He gave us a chance to win,” Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin said. “But when you get behind the eight ball like we did early, it’s tough to claw back. We did, we made it and we had our chances, but didn’t get it done.”
Georgia Tech registered a run in the first, but the Bulldogs answered back. Senior LJ Talley earned a walk, then graduate John Cable smashed a two-run home run towards the Chop House in right field for a 2-1 lead.
Though the Yellow Jackets surmounted a 7-2 lead in the third, Georgia rallied back once again in the fourth. Junior Aaron Schunk initiated a three-run inning with a leadoff homer to left field. The Bulldogs scored their next two runs on wild pitches by GT’s Jake Lee, making it 7-5.
The Georgia offense continued to produce runs despite trailing. In the sixth inning, Junior Tucker Maxwell drilled a hard-hit ball to right field for his team-leading ninth home run of the season, bringing the score to 8-6.
Moody entered in the sixth, striking out the side. He made quick work in the seventh inning going 1-2-3, and then closed out the eighth with a strikeout, a walk and an error. The Bulldogs put on one in the seventh and two in the eighth, but ultimately could not rally back and dropped an 8-6 final.
Next Up
The Yellow Jackets remain home when they host Clemson for a three-game series beginning on Friday, April 26. First pitch times are 6 p.m., 4 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, and will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
The Bulldogs (33-9, 13-5 SEC) travel to Starkville, Mississippi, in a top-10 matchup with No. 9 Mississippi State. First pitch in Friday’s series opener is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET.