March 7, 2018
ATLANTA, Ga. – Georgia Tech baseball made it 10 wins in a row over the Georgia State Panthers with a 12-6 win on Wednesday night at the GSU Baseball Complex in Panthersville, Ga.
The Jackets, who have not lost to the Panthers in exactly six years (March 7, 2012), improve to 9-3 overall on the season with the midweek win. The Panthers fall to 8-4 on the season with the loss.
The win now gives head coach Danny Hall 997 career victories at Georgia Tech.
Nine different Jackets posted a hit for the game led by Carter Hall (2-for-2, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBIs, 2 runs), Austin Wilhite (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, run) and Tristin English (1-for-4, HR, BB, 4 RBIs, 2 runs).
Georgia State recorded 11 hits on the night and were led by Brandon Bell (3-for-3, HR, 2 BB, 3 RBIs, run), Jack Thompson (1-for-3, RBI) and Nick Gatewood (1-for-3, RBI).
After giving up two runs in the first inning, freshman starter Hugh Chapman settled down to pitch three scoreless innings, giving up just two runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out four hitters.
The Tech bullpen, led by winning pitcher Ben Schniederjans (1-1), held the Panthers off the scoreboard for four innings until the home team pushed across four runs in the bottom of the ninth to put the final score at 12-6.
Schniederjans allowed just two hits over 2.0-scoreless innings for the relief win.
The loss went to the Panthers’ Bryan White (0-1), as the starter was tagged for seven runs, five of which were earned, on four hits, four walks and three strikeouts over 2.0-plus innings of work.
Tech jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, as English blasted a two-run home run over the tall center field wall. However, the home team answered back with back-to-back walks followed by two-straight RBI singles in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game up at 2-2 after just one inning of play.
The White and Gold retook the lead in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Austin Wilhite to put the score at 3-2 and then opened up the game in the top of the third with four runs on one hit, two sacrifice flies, two errors and three walks to take a 7-2 lead midway through the third inning.
After pitching around two singles in the bottom of the third and getting a huge 5-4-3 double play in the bottom of the fourth to keep the score at 7-2, the Jackets’ added to its lead with one swing of the bat in the top of the fifth on a Carter Hall monster home run to left field to give the visitors in gray a commanding 9-2 lead midway through the contest.
Georgia State threatened again in the bottom half of the fifth, as twice the Panthers put two runners in scoring position only to have freshman third baseman Oscar Serratos field a ground ball and throw one runner out at home plate for out number two before a hard comeback ground ball to Schniederjans on the mound ended the inning.
Tech added a run in the sixth on a lead-off double by Kyle McCann, back-to-back walks and a wild pitch, another run in the seventh on a bases loaded RBI ground out by English and one more in the eighth on an RBI single by Serratos to push its lead to double digits at 12-2.
Georgia State made the score respectable with a four-run ninth, scoring a run on a wild pitch and then three more runs on a three-run home run by Bell to put the final score at 12-6.
The Georgia Tech defense turned two double plays to help overcome nine Georgia State walks, while the offense took advantage of two errors and 12 walks to score 12 runs in the win.
The two teams combined to leave 27 runners on base for the nine-inning contest, 14 for Georgia Tech and 13 by the Georgia State Panthers.
Tech improves to 8-0 on the season when making one error or less for the contest, 9-2 when scoring six or more runs offensively and 7-0 when outhitting its opponent for the game.
The Yellow Jackets (9-3) open up ACC play this weekend, March 9-11, at No. 6 Clemson. First pitch for Friday night’s game is set for 6:30 p.m.
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.
Outfielder Carter Hall helped lead the offensive charge tonight in our 12-6 win at Georgia State! #TogetherWeSwarm pic.twitter.com/cnXNvSx72Z
— GeorgiaTech Baseball (@GTBaseball) March 8, 2018
