March 4, 2017
THE FLATS – Sophomore Joey Bart hit two home runs, while redshirt-freshman pitcher Jonathan Hughes bounced back from a two-run first to settle down over the next four innings to lead the No. 17 Yellow Jackets to a 10-2 win over the Belmont Bruins at Russ Chandler Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Tech improves to 9-1 overall with the win and 8-1 at home. Belmont falls to 4-6 with the loss.
Bart led the offense on Saturday, as the three-hole hitter was 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, four RBIs and three runs scored. Lead-off hitter Wade Bailey went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored, while freshman Kyle McCann was 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and run scored in his first career start at first base.
Tech’s offense did not stop there as Austin Wilhite was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, while seniors Ryan Peurifoy (1-for-3, 2B, run) and Keenan Innis (1-for-2, 2B, 3 RBIs) each had a double in the win.
Hughes (1-0) recorded his first win of the season on Saturday, as the hurler gave up two runs on three hits and one walk, while striking out six Bruins’ batters over 5.0 innings. Hughes gave up the two runs in the first and then did not allow a hit over the next four innings.
For Belmont at the plate, six different Bruins had a hit for the game led by Matt Cogen who was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored and Brennan Washington who was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Belmont’s Dylan King (1-2), the younger brother of Tech pitcher Jonathan King, was saddled with the loss, as the sophomore righty surrendered six runs on 10 hits and five walks, while striking out four over 4.2 innings.
It would be the Bruins who would strike first on Saturday, as the visitors took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first by way of back-to-back doubles from Kyle Conger and Cogen, a bunt single by Chas Hadden, a hit batter and then a sacrifice fly to left field.
The two-run deficit did not seem to faze the Jackets, as in the bottom half of the first inning Bailey singled up the middle then trotted home on a Bart two-run home run over the right center field wall two batters later to tie the game up at 2-2 after just one complete.
With Hughes throwing a 1-2-3 inning in both the second and the third, as well as pitching around a walk in the fourth and both a hit batsman and an error in the fifth, the Jackets offense took the lead as Bailey hit an RBI single in the bottom half of the second to plate freshman outfielder Chase Murray who led off the inning with a bunt single.
Tech added to its 3-2 lead in the fourth when McCann drew a two-out walk, then advanced to second on a single to the first baseman by Wilhite. Following a four-pitch walk to Bailey to load the bases, Trevor Craport and Bart drew back-to-back bases loaded walks to push the Jackets lead to three at 5-2.
The Jackets scored a run in the fifth on an RBI single by McCann and another run in the sixth on a solo shot over the right field wall by Bart to take a 7-2 lead into the seventh.
While the bullpen in Jared Datoc (2.0, 0 hits, 0 runs, BB, 2 Ks), Micah Carpenter (1.0, 2 hits, 0 runs) and Zac Ryan (1.0, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 BB) closed out the final four innings of the game for the Jackets, Innis gave Tech some breathing room with a bases clearing three-run double to right center field in the bottom of the eighth to put the home team up big at 10-2.
Belmont left 10 runners on base for the game, while Tech stranded eight overall.
The Jackets (9-1) return to Russ Chandler Stadium for game three of the three-game weekend series versus the Belmont Bruins (4-6) tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. ET.
Joey Bart with two home runs, a double and three RBIs in the 10-2 win over Belmont on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/6qVmQ9p1Mv
— GeorgiaTech Baseball (@GTBaseball) March 4, 2017
Tech Tidbits
· Tech moves to 9-1 overall on the season and 8-1 at home.
· The Jackets are now 3-0 all-time versus the Belmont Bruins.
· Georgia Tech is now 6-0 on the season when scoring in the first inning.
· Tech has now outscored its foes 57-13 overall on the season in the first three innings of play.
· The Jackets are now 9-0 on the season when scoring five runs or more.
· The Yellow Jackets have scored double digit runs in seven games this season.
· The two runs allowed in the win on Saturday were the fewest by the Jackets this year.
· Jonathan Hughes threw a season-high 5.0 innings in the win.
· Joey Bart recorded his first career multi-home run game as a Yellow Jacket with two home runs on Saturday.
· Joey Bart matched his career-high with four RBIs in the win on Saturday.
· Kyle McCann made his first career start as a Jacket at first base.
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