March 2, 2018
THE FLATS — Georgia Tech baseball extended its scoreless streak to 22-straight innings and recorded its second-straight shutout win with a 5-0 blanking of the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames on Friday night in game one of the three-game weekend series at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Tech, who also posted an 8-0 shutout win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday, has picked up back-to-back shutout wins for the first time since defeating Duke 1-0 and 8-0 in a doubleheader on March 31, 2012.
The win pushes Tech to 7-2 overall on the season and extends its winning streak to six-straight games. The loss drops UIC to 6-3 on the year.
Head coach Danny Hall now has 995 career wins at Tech and is closing in on number 1,000 as the skipper of the White and Gold.
Starting pitcher Xzavion Curry (3-0) was in control from the start, as he matched his career-high of eight strikeouts and held UIC scoreless over the first 6.0 innings of play. The sophomore scattered five hits and one walk on 102 pitches for the night.
With his six shutout innings on Friday, Curry has now thrown 15.0-scoreless innings since allowing a run in the third inning of his first start in the 3-2 season-opening win over Minnesota back on Feb. 16.
Behind Curry was fellow sophomore hurler Andy Archer (2.0 IP, 2 hits, BB) and freshman pitcher Hugh Chapman (1.0 IP) who helped keep the shutout in tact over the final three innings of play.
It all started at the top of the order offensively for the Jackets, as lead-off hitter Wade Bailey (3-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 runs) and two-hole hitter Chase Murray (2-for-4, 2B, BB, RBI) went a combined 5-for-8 with two doubles, two walks, an RBI and two runs scored. Clean-up hitter Tristin English (2-for-5, 2B, RBI) also had a double and an RBI in the win.
Playing in his first game of the season, outfielder Carter Hall (1-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs) provided the pop, as he hit a three-run home run in the fourth to give the Jackets a little breathing room at 5-0.
UIC starter Reid Birlingmair (1-1) suffered the loss, as he surrendered five runs on five hits and five walks, while striking out seven Yellow Jacket hitters in 4.2 innings of work.
The Flames were led at the plate by Scott Ota (3-for-4), as he had three of the seven hits on the night for the visitors in navy blue, all of which were singles.
Tech got on the board in the first on an English RBI double and then doubled its lead in the bottom of the third on a Murray RBI double to left center field.
With Curry cruising on the mound, the White and Gold increased its 2-0 lead to 5-0 with a three-run shot over the left field wall by Carter Hall in the bottom of the fourth.
That was all Curry and the bullpen needed, as Curry pitched around two singles in the sixth, before a double play by the tandem of Bailey and Austin Wilhite up the middle in the seventh helped Archer pitch around two UIC base hits and keep the Flames off the scoreboard.
Archer then overcame a walk in the eighth before handing the ball over to Chapman for a clean ninth to give Tech the 5-0 shutout win.
The Jackets stranded 11 runners on base, while the Flames left nine on for the contest.
The Yellow Jackets (7-2) and Flames (6-3) will face off again tomorrow in game two of the three-game series. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Carter Hall talks to Wiley Ballard postgame after the Jackets’ 5-0 win over UIC on Friday night. Hall had a huge three-run home in the fourth, his first home run of the season. pic.twitter.com/heznlTKsLP
— GeorgiaTech Baseball (@GTBaseball) March 3, 2018
Andy Archer with another sold outing out of the bullpen for the Jackets on Friday night in Tech’s 5-0 win over UIC. Archer talks about the pitching staff postgame with Wiley Ballard. pic.twitter.com/rNn9ac8rCh
— GeorgiaTech Baseball (@GTBaseball) March 3, 2018
