April 29, 2012
ATLANTA – Reigning ACC Player of the Week Jake Davies hit a pair of two-run home runs for Georgia Tech, but visiting Clemson opened a 7-0 lead in the fourth inning and hung on to beat the Yellow Jackets, 11-8, Sunday at Russ Chandler Stadium to win the ACC series.
Davies, Brandon Thomas and Zane Evans each had two hits and Davies finished with four RBI for Tech, which slipped to 26-19 overall and 10-14 in the ACC. The Tigers won their first series in Atlanta since 1996 and improved to 26-19, 14-10.
Davies launched his first two-run bomb as the Jackets scored four times on four hits in the fourth inning, answering Clemson’s five-spot in the top half. Mott Hyde and Connor Lynch also drove in runs in the fourth, but Tech left the bases loaded.
The Jackets trimmed the margin to just one in the sixth when Kyle Wren chopped a double down the right-field line to score Hyde, and Thomas Smith came home on Thomas’ fielder’s choice to make it 7-6.
That’s as close as the White and Gold would get.
A two-RBI single up the middle by Steve Wilkerson in the seventh gave the visitors breathing room, and consecutive RBI singles in the eighth from Spencer Kieboom and Brad Felder would be much needed insurance for reliever Daniel Gossett.
In the ninth, Davies smashed his seventh homer of the season – a two-run shot to score Thomas – to make the score 11-8. Palka then reached on an error in the next at bat, but Gossett recorded the final two outs in succession to pick up his fourth win (4-2).
Gossett pitched the final 5 1/3 innings allowing three hits and four runs with seven strikeouts in the winning effort. Kieboom was 5-for-5 to pace Clemson’s 18-hit attack.
Freshman starter Cole Pitts was hung the loss (4-4), working 3 1/3 innings and yielding seven hits and six runs (five earned) with two strikeouts.
For Davies, the two-homer game was the first of his career. Four of his 13 career blasts have come in the last six games.
Tech takes the week off for exams, then returns to action with a non-conference series versus Charlotte next weekend on the Flats. The teams are scheduled for a single game Saturday at 6 p.m. and a doubleheader Sunday beginning at 2 p.m.
