THE FLATS – Georgia Tech baseball was unable to overcome a late rally from Kennesaw State, falling 5-1 in the series opening game on Friday night at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets (20-17) and Owls (25-12) were deadlocked in a scoreless pitchers’ duel for five innings before Justyn-Henry Malloy doubled in Kevin Parada, who reached on a walk and scored from first to take a 1-0 lead. A walk and a hit by pitch in the top of the seventh set up a three-run homer by Nick Hassan, before a solo homer by Malik Spratling added on. KSU would score one more in the eighth to make it a four-run lead.
LHP Brant Hurter (3-4) received the loss after pitching an efficient sub-80 pitch shutout until the seventh inning. RHP Zach Maxwell and LHP Josiah Siegel finished the game with Siegel surrendering the additional run.
Kennesaw was led by Spratling at the plate, who finished 2-for-4 on the day. On the mound, LHP Jake Rice (8-0) continued his streak of winning decisions, allowing just one run on three hits in six innings with six strikeouts.
Georgia Tech returns for Game 2 against KSU on Saturday, May 1. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and WREK 91.1 FM.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Support The Swarm Fund, which helps Georgia Tech athletics offset the significant financial challenges associated with Covid-19, and the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on Twitter (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
