April 5, 2016
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MACON, Ga. – Clinging to a one-run lead after six innings, No. 24 Georgia Tech turned to its bullpen and it delivered Tuesday night as the Yellow Jackets held on to a 6-5 road win at Mercer.
Georgia Tech (21-7) has now won 10 straight road games in the state of Georgia and extended its nonconference road win streak to eight games.
Senior Cole Pitts (3-1) won his second straight start after allowing five runs on four hits with four strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Micah Carpenter and Matthew Gorst combined to scatter two hits and strike out five in 3.0 innings of scoreless relief.
THE BASICS
• Georgia Tech extended its Georgia road win streak to 10 games.
• Georgia Tech has now won eight straight nonconference road games.
• Tech is now 13-2 in its last 15 games vs. in-state foes.
• Tech is now 34-6 in its last 40 nonconference games.
• Tech improved to 109-54 all-time vs. Mercer.
• The Jackets are 6-1 in midweek games this season.
• Head coach Danny Hall went with his 24th different lineup this season.
• Tech is now 18-3 in games played in less than 3 hours.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Georgia Tech opened the game with a 5-run 1st inning. After a Wade Bailey out, seven straight Yellow Jackets reached safely thanks to four walks, one hit by pitch and two hits. DH Brandt Stallings popped a 2-run double to left field and LF Ryan Peurifoy hit a high-chopping infield single to give Tech a 5-0 cushion.
• Mercer’s Trey Truitt put the Bears on the board with a lead-off, opposite-field home run in the bottom of the 1st.
• Three innings later, it was Tech’s lead-off hitter Wade Bailey who would homer. Bailey’s fourth home run of the season – a solo shot to left – gave the Jackets a 6-1 lead.
• Jose Hernandez gave Mercer a much-needed boost in the 4th with a towering 3-run home run that cleared the fans behind the right field wall. The homer cut Tech’s lead to 6-4.
• Mercer added a run in the 6th on a solo home run.
• Micah Carpenter and Matthew Gorst combined to shut out Mercer over the final three innings.
QUOTE BOARD
“The win tonight rights the ship for us. It was certainly a disappointing weekend, but we put it behind us. We jumped on them early with five runs in the first. I felt like (Cole) Pitts – if he could eliminate those home run balls – pitched really well. Micah (Carpenter) was outstanding pitching out trouble and (Matthew) Gorst left the tying run on third and struck two of their best hitters. We beat a really good opponent on the road.” – Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall on the Jackets’ 6-5 road win
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Sophomore 2B Wade Bailey went 2-for-5 with a solo home run – his fourth of the season.
• Sophomore DH Kel Johnson saw his 22-game hit streak come to end, finishing the night 0-for-4 with a walk.
• Senior RHP Cole Pitts went a season-high 6.0 innings en route to his third win of the season.
• Junior RHP Matthew Gorst’s called strike three to end the game was only his third strikeout looking of the season.
UP NEXT
The 24th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets return to Russ Chandler Stadium to host Kennesaw State at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The game will be streamed live on RamblinWreck.com and WREK 91.1 FM.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GTBaseball), Facebook (facebook.com/GTbaseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
