Jackets Fall 2-1 in Pitcher's Duel with Pitt

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech sophomore starter Xzavion Curry pitched seven strong innings, but was bested by the Pittsburgh Panthers’ starting pitcher Matt Pidich in a low-scoring 2-1 contest in game one of the 2018 ACC Baseball Championship in Durham, N.C.

Curry (8-4) held Pitt to just three hits, but allowed two runs in the seventh inning in the loss. The Tech ace struck out eight, but hit two batters, throwing 104 pitches on the day.

Pidich (6-2) earned the win, surrendering just one run on three hits and one walk, while striking out eight Tech batters over 7.0-complete innings.

Four Jackets had one hit apiece for the game in Kyle McCann (1-for-3, 2B, run), Colin Hall (1-for-3), Oscar Serratos (1-for-3) and Nick Wilhite (1-for-3), while Tristin English (0-for-3, RBI) drove in the lone run of the game.

The Panthers, who didn’t get their first hit of the game until the fifth inning, were led at the plate by Chris Cappas (2-for-4, 3B, RBI), Caleb Parry (1-for-4, RBI, run) and Liam Sabino (1-for-3, 2B, HBP, run).

The first game of the ACC Baseball Championship proved to be a pitcher’s duel, as the two starters kept both offenses guessing through the first half of the contest.

Both teams put a runner on base in the second inning, Pitt’s by way of a hit batter and Tech’s on an infield single and a throwing error, only to see both starters get out of the inning unharmed to keep the game scoreless early.

Tech got a single in the third and a walk in the fourth, but left both runners stranded, while the Panthers left a runner on second in the fifth after recording their first hit of the game.

Pitt broke through first in the top half of the seventh. Taking advantage of a hit batter to start the inning, the Panthers moved the runner over to second base on a sacrifice bunt.

Following a strikeout, the Panthers picked up a two-out RBI single up the middle and then a well-placed RBI triple to right center field to break the scoreless tie and take a 2-0 lead to the bottom of the seventh.

The Jackets got one run back in the bottom half of the inning on a lead-off double from McCann, a wild pitch and an RBI ground out to shortstop by English to cut the Pitt lead in half at 2-1 with two innings to play.

Tech put a runner on in the eighth, yet saw a hard hit ball up the middle lead to a 4-3 double play to end the frame with the Jackets still trailing by one.

After English got the Jackets out of a jam by striking out three-straight batters with two on base in the top of the ninth, Tech was unable to get anything going offensively and went three-up and three-down in the final inning to fall to the Panthers 2-1.

Both teams hit just .133 (4-for-30) for the game; however, three of Pitt’s four hits came with two outs, two of which were RBI base knocks.

Georgia Tech (31-26) will be off until Friday, May 25, when the Jackets will take on the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels (37-17) at 3 p.m. as the final game of Pool A pool play.

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.