Feb. 20, 2016
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THE FLATS – For the second straight day, Georgia Tech’s designated hitter came up big for the Yellow Jackets. Sophomore Kel Johnson went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI Saturday afternoon to help No. 21 Tech power past Western Michigan 13-0 at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Tech pitched its first shutout since March 15, 2015, at Duke (4-0) and its first home shutout since Feb. 27, 2015, vs. Indiana State (1-0).
THE LINEUPS
Western Michigan – Grant Miller 3B, Nick Vogelmeier SS, Mitchell Ho C, Tanner Allison DH, H Prince 1B, Alex Goodwin LF, Jesse Forestell RF, Connor Smith 2B, Drew Farmer CF, Derek Schneider P
Georgia Tech – Wade Bailey 2B, Ryan Peurifoy CF, Matt Gonzalez LF, Kel Johnson DH, Tristin English 1B, Trevor Craport 3B, Connor Justus SS, Coleman Poje RF, Joey Bart C, Jonathan King P
THE BASICS
• Georgia Tech is now 3-0 all-time vs. Western Michigan. It was the first meeting since 1985.
• Tech improved to 155-48 all-time in the month of February under head coach Danny Hall.
• Tech has now won 13 straight nonconference home games (last nonconference home loss was Feb. 14, 2015, vs. Fordham).
• Team co-captain and redshirt junior LHP Jonathan King made his 30th career start for the Yellow Jackets.
• Freshman C Joey Bart and redshirt junior RF Coleman Poje made their career-first starts as Yellow Jackets. It was Poje’s first college game since May 10, 2014, when he played for Air Force.
• Georgia Tech is 853-251-1 all-time at Russ Chandler Stadium (since 1985).
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Jackets hung a three-spot on the board in the first, thanks to Tristin English’s Baltimore chop RBI single, a WMU fielding error, and Trevor Craport RBI single.
• Georgia Tech broke the game open with a five-run fourth inning.
• Cameron Poje plated Connor Justus with an RBI sacrifice fly for a 4-0 lead.
• Matt Gonzalez drilled a two-RBI double to left center before Kel Johnson’s two-run home run to right for an 8-0 advantage.
• Johnson drove in his third run with an RBI single in the sixth.
• Tech’s final four runs came in the eighth. Wade Bailey scored on Gonzalez’s RBI single through the right side. Grant Wruble later followed with a pinch-hit two-RBI double for a 12-0 lead. Justus drove home the Jackets’ final run of the day with an RBI single that scored Wruble.
QUOTE BOARD
“I thought again we had a pretty well-played game. (Jonathan) King did a really good job battling out of trouble. The double play ball (in the fifth inning) was really good for him. I felt like we hit well up and down the lineup. It was a good day for us all the way around. And, all the guys that came in after King threw well, so it was a good day.” – Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall on the win
“I didn’t throw as many strikes as I would have liked, but the defense played really well behind me. They had two big-time double plays that got me out of a jam. It was good to get back out there and get comfortable on the mound.” – Georgia Tech winning pitcher Jonathan King
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• LHP Jonathan King pitched five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks with two strikeouts. He earned his 13th career victory.
• Four freshmen pitchers – Bobby Gauvreau, Keyton Gibson, Robert Winborne and Jake Lee – combined to allow just three hits and four baserunners in four innings of relief.
• Georgia Tech’s 13 runs and 18 hits are the most by the Yellow Jackets since March 10, 2015, when it pounded out a season-high 22 runs and 21 hits vs. Georgia Southern.
• Every starter in Tech’s batting order registered at least one hit Saturday.
• Freshman Joey Bart recorded two hits in his Georgia Tech debut. Fellow freshman Brandt Stallings also registered a hit in his debut.
• It was Johnson’s 11th career home run and his seventh career homer with at least one runner on base.
• Poje recorded his first hit as a Yellow Jacket and his first since May 10, 2014, when he played at Air Force against San Jose State.
UP NEXT
No. 21 Georgia Tech wraps up the Atlanta Challenge at 1 p.m. Sunday against VCU at Russ Chandler Stadium. Fans can listen to the game live on WREK HD-2 or watch live streaming video on www.ramblinwreck.com.
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