Samford 3, Memphis 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team used strong pitching and defense to hand Memphis its first loss of the season in a 3-2 victory Saturday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
Alex Ledford (1-0) pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits to earn his first win of the season. Parker Curry pitched three innings in relief, allowing just one hit, while striking out five batters without allowing a walk. Andres Gracia pitched the final inning, retiring the Tigers in order to pick up his first save of the season.
Offensively for Samford, Hunter Swilling went 2-for-3 at the plate. Tyler Filliben hit a solo home run in a 1-for-4 performance. Frankie Navarrete drove in two runs, going 1-for-2 in the win.
For Memphis, Zach Willis went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Darien Tubbs went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Tigers. Colin Lee (0-1) pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits in taking the loss on the mound for Memphis.
Samford plated all of its runs in the game in the first two innings. The Bulldogs scored one run in the first inning and two more in the second inning to jump out to an early 3-0 lead.
In the first inning, with one out, Filliben hit a solo home run to left-center field for the game’s first run. The home run was the first of Filliben’s Samford career and it gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage.
In the second inning, with two outs, Brandon Powell singled to left-center field to get things started. Swilling then singled to left-center field, moving Powell to second base. The two runners then advanced a base each on a wild pitch. Navarrete then singled to right field to drive in Swilling and Powell for a 3-0 Samford lead.
The score remained 3-0 until Memphis plated two runs in the top of the fifth inning. With one out, Tubbs singled to right field. Willis then doubled to right-center field to drive in Tubbs to make the score 3-1. After Willis advanced to third base on a ground out, he scored on a wild pitch to bring Memphis to within one run at 3-2.
In the final four innings, Curry and Gracia combined to allow just one base runner as Memphis was unable to push the tying run across and Samford came away with the 3-2 win.
With the win, Samford improved to 2-3 on the young season. Memphis dropped to 5-1 with the loss.
Western Carolina 8, Washington State 6
PULLMAN, Wash. – Western Carolina rallied from a two-run deficit after two innings of play with a three-spot in the top of the third inning and held on for an 8-6 victory over Washington State on a snowy Saturday afternoon at Bailey-Brayton Field.
Game three of the four-game series is scheduled for noon PT / 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Junior infielder Bradley Strong and senior catcher Adam Martin both posted multiple-hit games, combining for four of WCU’s nine base hits, including a double by Martin, with Strong scoring twice. Strong was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a pair of walks.
Catamount starter Jordan Smith (1-1) fought through six innings on the mound in the winning effort, working around four walks. The Liberty, N.C., native held Washington State to five runs – only three of which were earned – on seven base hits. Smith was the first of six pitchers used by WCU.
Relievers Bryce Danielson (0.2 IP), Jonathan Wazak (1.0 IP) combined with freshmen B.J. Nobles and Nate Williams each came out of the bullpen to set up closer Colton Davis, who tossed the final inning and a third with a strikeout. Wazak tallied WCU’s first strikeout of the game in the eighth inning with Davis scoring a second to end the eighth.
Western Carolina (4-2) got off to a strong start, as leadoff batter Strong tripled to center field on the first pitch of the game before scoring the game’s first run two pitches later. Strong scored as Jones grounded one off the first baseman’s glove on the right side, reaching on a fielding error by the second baseman. Jacob Hoyle then delivered his sixth RBI of the series with a run-scoring single to left field ahead of Martin, who doubled down the right-field line to bring home a third run.
The Catamount advantage was short-lived, though, as Washington State matched the three-run start in its half of the first inning, utilizing three hits, a hit batsman and a WCU error. Designated hitter Jason Monda drove in the game-tying run on a single to center field that came on the heels of the Catamounts’ fourth turned double play of the series.
An inning later, the Cougars took their first lead of the series, pulling ahead on a Trace Tam Sing RBI single through the left side to score Ben Roberts, who walked to open the frame. WSU added a second run to its lead as Nick Tanielu doubled to center field, scoring Tam Sing for the 5-3 advantage.
Western Carolina reclaimed control in the top of the third, however, as Aaron Attaway and Martin both singled before Luke Gragg dropped an RBI single into right center to bring Attaway home. Spiess followed his classmate Gragg with a single to right-center for a second run, with freshman Matt Smith plating a third – and go-ahead – run by reaching on fielder’s choice on a force play at second, with Gragg scoring.
WCU tacked on insurance runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Strong walked and later scored on a fielder’s choice by Attaway in the fourth, while Dale Urquhart Jr. doubled to left center on his first pinch-hit at bat in the sixth and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Urquhart rumbled home on a wild pitch, handing the Catamounts an 8-5 lead with three innings to play.
Washington State (1-5) threatened in the latter innings, putting runners at the corners in the seventh without scoring. In the eighth, the Cougars trimmed the WCU lead to two, 8-6, before loading the bases with two outs. However, WCU closer Davis slammed the door with a strikeout as a part of four straight outs, retiring the Cougar side in order in the ninth for his first career save.
Though the hits shown even on the scoreboard, Washington State stranded 13 runners in the losing effort, while WCU left just five men on base.
Washington State starter Tanner Chleborad (0-1) took the loss after allowing seven runs – five of which were earned – on seven hits with four strikeouts against three walks. Chleborad worked the first four frames before giving way to reliever Joe Pistorese for the final five. The left-handed reliever struck out six while holding WCU to one run on two hits, including Urquhart’s double.
Offensively, the Cougars were led by Tanielu with a 2-for-5 performance, including a double and two RBIs, while Trek Stemp charted a pair of singles in a 2-for-6 outing.
Georgia Southern 9, Maryland Eastern Shore 3
Georgia Southern 10, Maryland Eastern Shore 1
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Georgia Southern baseball team swept a doubleheader over Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday. The Eagles outscored the Hawks 19-4 on the day and won game one 9-3 and game two 10-1.
GSU improved to 6-1 after the two winsm while UMES fell to 0-4.
In game one, Chase Griffin drove in four runs and Josh Wirsu allowed just one hit over five innings.
Griffin helped Georgia Southern rally back from an early 2-0 deficit with a two-run single in the bottom of the first inning and later scored on a home run by Ryan Cleveland. Griffin drove in two more runs on his third hit of the day in the eighth inning.
Wirsu allowed three unearned runs but picked up his first win of the season. Wirsu (1-1) struck out four batters and walked just one after his defense settled in behind him. The Eagles committed three errors through the first three innings.
Chipper Smith was unable to hold onto Maryland Eastern Shore's early lead and surrendered seven runs on 11 hits in his first start of the season. Smith (0-1) threw five innings but took the loss.
The Eagles finished with 12 hits, their fifth victory with 10 or more hits this season, and eight of the nine starters recorded a hit in the contest. Griffin led the way with three hits, while Cleveland and Garrett Chapman had two hits each.
The Hawks finished with three hits on the day. Justin Dattilo recorded one of those hits and plated two runs with a single and a ground out.
Eric Alonzo tossed two scoreless innings and faced just one over the minimum to close out the ballgame.
In game two, Stryker Brown hit a grand slam in a six-run first inning as Georgia Southern won 10-1.
Garren Palmer got the scoring started for Georgia Southern in that first inning with an RBI single before Brown hit his third home run of the season to clear the bases. Dalton Busby tacked on the sixth run with an RBI single.
Avery Fagan picked up the win after opening the game with two scoreless innings. Fagan (1-0) allowed two hits and struck out three batters. Caleb Pressey, Jason Richman and Will Jackson followed with two scoreless frames each.
Philip Berry tossed five innings for Maryland Eastern Shore and allowed just one run outside of that six-run first inning. Berry (0-1) suffered the loss after giving up seven runs – five earned – on seven hits and four walks.
The Eagles tallied 10 or more hits for the fifth straight game and got multi-hit games from Palmer, Brown, Chapman and Busby. Busby led the team with three hits and drove in three runs, while Brown recorded two hits and plated four runs.
The Hawks totaled a series-high nine hits, with three coming from Stephen Bull. Mike Escanilla recorded two hits but was left stranded in the first and third innings.
GSU concludes the four game series Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Ryan Frederick is slated to make the start for the Eagles. UMES has not named a starter for Sunday's contest.
Wofford 6, Butler 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Senior closer Eric Eck entered the game in the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded and two outs and never looked back, earning his school-record 20th career save as the Wofford baseball team defeated the Butler Bulldogs, 6-2, at Russell C. King Field on Saturday afternoon.
Eck’s 20 career saves pass Michael Gilmartin's (2007-09) 19 for the most in Wofford baseball history.
The Terriers have now won three consecutive games, improving their record to 3-3 overall, and the Bulldogs fell to 1-3 with the loss.
Offensively, Wofford was led by senior second baseman Seth Neely, who went 4-for-4 and had three RBIs, including a two-run homer in the seventh inning to push the Terriers to a 6-2 lead.
Wofford got on the board first with two runs in the bottom of the opening inning to take an early 2-0 lead. Senior left fielder Josh Hyman hit a leadoff single up the middle and Neely batted him home as he clobbered a double with one out to center field. Sophomore Demetrius Jennings then hit a double down the left-field line with two outs to score Neely.
Butler then cut the Terriers’ lead to one as the leadoff hitter Chris Maranto hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Marco Caponi from third. The Bulldogs couldn't muster a tying run in the inning as they left one on base heading into the bottom half of the third.
Neely's big day would continue as he led Wofford's response in the bottom half of the third with a leadoff single and a stolen base. After advancing to third on a groundout, senior third baseman Eric Brenk singled up the middle to score Neely, extending Wofford's lead 3-1. The Terriers then pushed across another run to make the score 4-1 as Jennings scored from second on a single from freshman catcher Carson Waln.
Ryan Wojciechowski brought the Bulldogs within two again, scoring from third on Austin Miller's ground out to the pitcher, making the score 4-2 in the top of the fourth inning.
Wofford then extended its lead again in the seventh inning. After Alec Paradowski singled to left field and advanced to second on a passed ball, Neely stepped up to the plate a bombed a two-run homer over the left-field wall, extending the Terriers' lead, 6-2.
Eck came into the game for a save situation in the eighth inning as Butler loaded the bases with one out. Eck's first batter flied out to the shortstop and then he rung up his second batter for the third out of the inning and escaped the bases loaded jam.
The record-breaking save was then earned in the ninth as Eck got the final three outs, facing four batters. He struck out the first, walked the next two, and forced Marcos Calderon to ground out into a double play to end the ballgame.
Wofford sophomore starting pitcher Luke Leftwich (1-0) had a solid outing as he worked 4 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on three hits and four strikeouts. Sophomore Connor Foltyn pitched a third of an inning without allowing a base-runner.
Butler starter Kyle Kramp (0-1) pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and six strikeouts. Billy Laing finished out the game pitching 3 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on three hits and three strikeouts.
The Terriers will wrap up the weekend Sunday as they host Presbyterian at 4 p.m. at Russell C. King Field.
Elon 11, Wagner 1
ELON, N.C. – In his second career start, Elon pitcher Lucas Bakker fanned nine over seven innings to pace the Phoenix to an 11-1 victory over the visiting Wagner Seahawks at Latham Park on Saturday afternoon.
Bakker (1-0) scattered eight hits and allowed just one run while not walking a batter in earning his first victory for Elon (4-1). Three Elon pitchers combined to fan 11 and issue just one walk on the afternoon.
Wagner (0-2) opened the scoring in the top of the first when Nick Mascelli scored on a wild pitch. From there, Wagner would have multiple runners reach base in an inning just three times.
The Phoenix immediately answered Wagner's opening tally by plating three runs in the last of the first. A one-out single by Sebastian Gomez (3-for-5, two runs, one RBI) was followed by a hit batter and a walk to load the bases. Casey Jones (3-for-4, three RBIs) delivered Elon's first two runs with a double to the gap in right-center. The final run for the maroon and gold in the first came on Tyler McVicar's sacrifice fly.
Elon extended its advantage in the fourth, scoring four runs with the assistance of two Seahawk errors. The frame began with an error and a sacrifice bunt. A Quinn Bower single put runners at the corners for Gomez, who reached on an infield single. That play would end up allowing two runs to score, as Wagner tried to throw Bower (2-for-5, one run, two RBI) out at third but threw the ball away, allowing him to score. Danny Lynch (1-for-3, one run, one RBI) and Jones would then add run-scoring singles.
Another four-run inning, this time in the seventh, put the game out of reach. After the first two hitters of the inning were retired, Elon pounded out six consecutive hits, including RBI singles from D.J. Paone (1-for-3, one run, one RBI) and Andy Moore (2-for-3, one run, one RBI) and a two-RBI double off the bat of Bower.
The loss went to Wagner's Matt Morris, who was charged with seven runs (four earned) on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings of work.
Elon will look to complete the three-game sweep of Wagner at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at Latham Park.
No. 6 NC State 7, Appalachian State 0
RALEIGH, N.C. – Appalachian State committed five errors that led to five unearned runs in a 7-0 loss to No. 6 NC State on Saturday afternoon at Doak Field.
NC State scored unearned runs in the first and second innings, two in the sixth and one more in the seventh. The Wolfpack’s only two earned runs came in the fourth.
Appalachian State’s five errors were its most since it committed five in a 12-7 loss to Butler almost exactly one year ago on Feb. 23, 2013.
The Mountaineers also struggled at the plate, with their only hits coming on singles by Dillon Dobson and Michael Pierson in the first and fourth innings. NC State starter Logan Jernigan and reliever Jon Olczak combined to retire Appalachian’s final 15 batters in order.
Appalachian State starting pitcher Tyler Moore was the primary victim of the Mountaineers’ sloppy fielding, as just two of the six runs that he was saddled with over 5 2/3 innings were earned. Relievers Payton Smith and Caleb McCann combined for 2 1/3 hitless innings to close the game.
Jake Fincher had two of NC State’s seven hits and drove in three runs for the Wolfpack, which won its fifth straight game and moved to 5-1.
With the loss, Appalachian fell to 0-6 against a grueling early season schedule that has already included five games against nationally ranked opponents (three at No. 25 Arkansas, two at No. 6 NC State).
The Mountaineers will look to salvage the final game of their three-game series in Raleigh on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
VCU 8, Furman 7
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Logan Kanuik pitched three shutout innings of relief and for the second consecutive game, VCU withstood a furious Furman comeback to down the Paladins, 8-7, in baseball action Saturday afternoon at Latham Stadium.
VCU (5-1), which saw Furman (3-3) rally from a 7-1 deficit with eight consecutive runs before claiming a 14-9 win in Friday’s series opener, will go for the series sweep in Sunday’s 1 p.m. game.
Kanuik (2-0) entered the game in the sixth inning with the score tied 6-6 and proceeded to tame Furman’s bats, yielding only one hit while striking out five to earn the win. His effective work helped set the stage for the Rams, who tallied single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to take an 8-6 lead.
The two runs proved decisive as Furman threatened in the ninth on Greg Harrison’s one-out solo home run off Kanuik’s replacement, Matt Lees, that made it a one-run game. Chris Ohmstede followed with a solid single to left field but Lees recovered by inducing Alex Abrams to bounce into a game-ending double play.
VCU grabbed a 5-0 lead the first inning against Abrams, taking advantage of five hits, two hit batsmen, a walk and five hits to assume command before Rams starting pitcher Seth Greene threw a pitch.
Greene pitched shutout ball over the first three innings before running head-long into trouble in the fourth. Griffin Davis’ two-run double to right-center field highlighted a six-run outburst by the Paladins, who combined five hits with three VCU errors to take a 6-5 lead.
Abrams recovered from the rocky first inning to post three scoreless innings, and he recorded a pair of outs in the fifth before giving way to Harry Norman, who gave up a two-out, RBI single to Logan Farrar that tied the game at 6-6.
The Rams broke the deadlock with an unearned run in the seventh. Paladin reliever Ryan Morse walked two of the first three batters he faced and then saw the Rams load the bases after a Paladin error. He struck out VCU’s Trevor Marino for the second out and battled the Rams’ Chris Ayers with a nine-pitch at-bat before Ayers’ bounding ground ball at Paladin second baseman Jordan Simpson was misplayed, allowing Vimael Machin to score the go-ahead run.
VCU added another run in the eighth on a wild pitch for an 8-6 advantage.
James Bunn led the Rams’ 13-hit attack with a 4-for-5 performance at the plate, and Bill Cullen went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Chris Ohmstede’s 3-for-4 afternoon paced Furman, which banged out 12 hits. Hunter Burton and Cameron Whitehead joined Harrison and Simpson in collecting two hits apiece for the Paladins.
Morse (1-1) was charged with the loss after allowing two runs, only one of which was earned, on four hits over four innings. He walked three and struck out one.
Mount St. Mary’s 8, Davidson 2
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Mount St. Mary’s took advantage of Davidson miscues in the ninth inning, scoring six runs with two outs, to break open a tie game and defeat the Wildcats, 8-2, Saturday evening in nonconference baseball action at Wilson Field.
Left fielder Zach Hostetter paced Mount St. Mary’s at the plate, hitting a pair of RBI doubles, including the game-winner in the ninth. Second baseman Brandon Scott (1-for-5) added a three-run home run later in the inning to put the game out of reach.
Only the first two runs in the deciding frame were earned, as an error and a wild pitch on a strikeout prolonged the inning.
The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak for Davidson (1-2) against Mount St. Mary's (2-0). The Wildcats are 10-2 in the all-time series since the teams' first meeting in 2000.
Davidson scored its lone runs in the first inning, as center fielder Forrest Brandt (1-for-4) led the game off with a triple to center and scored on a single by third baseman David Daniels (1-for-4). Daniels then scored later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Brian Fortier (0-for-3).
RHP Ryan Lowe, who finished with a career-high eight strikeouts, retired the first 13 batters he faced before running into difficulty in the fifth inning. Catcher Andrew Clow (1-for-3) dropped a base hit just in front of right fielder Nathan Becker (1-for-4) to break up the perfect game, and Hostetter followed with his first RBI double. He later scored from third base on an infield single that first baseman Andrew Frazier (1-for-4) barely beat out, diving into first base to tie the game at 2-2.
Lowe finished with a solid line, though, allowing just the two runs on three hits and three walks.
RHP Michael Goldberg (0-2) retired the first seven batters he faced after entering with one on and no outs in the sixth inning, but a single and wild pitch put shortstop Zach Britton (1-for-4) in scoring position in the ninth, and Hostetter then came through with two outs.
RHP Nick Riley (1-0) earned the decision, entering in the seventh inning and allowing just two hits and striking out one in two innings of work. Shortstop Sam Foy (1-for-4) and second baseman Ben Arkin (2-for-3), the lone Wildcat to post a multi-hit game, both singled off him in the seventh and got into scoring position, but Riley was able to work out of the jam. RHP Vincent Molesky started for The Mount, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts in six innings.
Davidson will conclude the series Sunday at 1 p.m. against Mount St. Mary’s. RHP Nick Neitzel will start for the second time this season for the Wildcats, and will face the Mountaineers’ RHP Scott Nickerson.
Ohio State 5, The Citadel 4
ORLANDO, Fla. – Ronnie Dawson singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to give Ohio State a 5-4 victory over The Citadel at the UCF Baseball Tournament on Saturday.
The Buckeyes (4-2) had not scored since putting up four runs in the second before filling the bags against closer Skylar Hunter on a hit batter and a pair of one-out walks. Dawson, a freshman who entered the game with nine hits in his first 14 career at bats, lined an 0-2 pitch into left to bring home Troy Kuhn with the winning run.
The Citadel (2-4) has lost its first two games of the tournament by a combined three runs against Oklahoma and Ohio State. The Bulldogs will look to gain one win in the tournament when they meet the host Knights on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Bulldogs trailed the Buckeyes 4-1 until scoring three times in the fifth.
Ryan Kilgallen singled to lead off the fifth, and Bo Thompson drove home the first run of the inning on a sacrifice fly, his second RBI of the game and seventh of the season. After a walk loaded the bases, Calvin Orth hit a grounder up the middle that was gloved behind second base by Kuhn. Jason Smith scored easily, and Hughston Armstrong never stopped after rounding third and also crossed the plate to tie the game.
Kilgallen added another single in the sixth for his second straight two-hit game. Armstrong also had two hits, giving him 11 in the last four games, and Mason Davis had a pair of knocks. Armstrong is hitting .571 on the young season.
Starter James Reeves gave up four hits and four runs (two earned) in the second before settling into a groove. The junior left-hander retired the side in order in the third and fourth and gave up a harmless bunt single in the fifth before exiting. Reeves allowed a total of six hits, struck out four and did not walk a batter in taking the no-decision.
Zach Sherrill tossed two innings of one-hit shutout ball before Skylar Hunter (0-1) took over in the eighth. Jake Post struck out six Bulldogs while allowing two hits and no runs over the final four innings and earned the win for Ohio State.
The Citadel started quickly in the first following a three-and-a-half hour rain delay, when Thompson singled in Davis to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Reeves appeared ready to escape the second with only two runs allowed, but Orth committed a throwing error with two outs, and the Buckeyes capitalized with a two-run single by Patrick Porter that made it a four-run frame.
The Bulldogs had opportunities to break the tie in the sixth with runners at first and second and one out, but Davis grounded into a double play. The following inning, Armstrong reached second after catcher Connor Sabanosh hit him in the back with a throw to first trying to complete a strikeout that hit the dirt.
Thompson followed with a scorching line drive to second that was grabbed by Kuhn, who completed an easy unassisted twin-killing by doubling off Armstrong at second. Davis reached second in the ninth with an infield hit and his fourth steal of the season, but Post struck out Armstrong and Thompson.
The Bulldogs left eight runners on base and have stranded 21 in their two losses in Orlando.
Georgia Tech 7, UNCG 0
ATLANTA – The UNCG baseball team could only muster four hits Saturday afternoon as Georgia Tech claimed the teams’ nonconference series with a 7-0 victory inside Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Spartans fell to 1-3 with the loss, while the Yellow Jackets evened their record at 3-3.
A Spartan offense that racked up 27 hits against Duke and UNC Asheville has been stymied in the first two games of the series, as the Blue and Gold has tallied just seven base knocks. Georgia Tech recorded double-digit hits for the second straight afternoon as the Jackets put 13 on the board. The Spartans also committed a season-high four errors, with three occurring in the eighth inning.
UNCG received a solid effort from starter and junior RHP Max Povse (0-1) as he threw six complete innings, giving up nine hits, allowing one earned run and striking out seven with no walks. The loss was his first of the season. Cole Pitts notched his first victory of the campaign for GT, scattering three hits over five innings and striking out six.
After the Spartans went down in order to begin the contest, Thomas Spingola led off the bottom of the first inning with a single up the middle. However, Thomas Smith grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to put two outs on the board. Matt Gonzalez followed with a base knock through the left side and Povse was called for a balk to move the runner to second. Povse was ultimately able to escape any damage as Brandon Gold lined out to first to terminate the threat.
With two outs in the top of the second, junior infielder Jordan McDonald ripped a two-out double off of the wall in left center, but junior outfielder Zac MacAneney grounded out to Pitts to end the half inning. The Yellow Jackets threatened again in the bottom of the frame, but after a two-out infield single and stolen base by Ryan Peurifoy, Povse struck out Connor Justus to keep the game scoreless.
The Spartans put together another two-out rally in the top of the fourth. Junior infielder Hunter King worked a walk before junior designated hitter Aaron Wright laced a single up the middle. McDonald could not keep it going, however, as he was retired on a fly ball to shallow center.
Another threat by Georgia Tech in the bottom of the fourth fizzled out when, with two away and runners on first and second, Povse made a great pickoff move to first and nailed Elliott Barzilli leaning off of the bag for the final out.
Great defense for UNCG helped keep the Yellow Jackets at bay in the bottom of the fifth as Povse executed his second pickoff of the contest and sophomore catcher Jake Hall caught a runner stealing at second.
Georgia Tech finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth. After pair of singles resulted with runners on first and third with one out, Gold poked a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Spignola for the game’s first tally. The Yellow Jackets put another pair of runners on base in the bottom of the seventh, but Spartan reliever junior LHP Tyler Long worked a scoreless inning to keep the GT advantage at 1-0.
The Blue and Gold looked to have a rally going in the top of the eighth, but redshirt sophomore Nin Marrero was thrown out at second trying to stretch a single down the third-base line into a double for the second out of the inning. The play looked to take the wind out of the Spartan sails as Georgia Tech scored six unearned runs thanks to a trio of UNCG errors in the bottom of the frame to end the contest’s scoring.
The Spartans and Yellow Jackets will complete the three-game set Sunday at 1 p.m.