Feb. 24, 2018
THE FLATS – The Yellow Jackets hammered out eight home runs and a total of 33 hits to score 23 runs in the twin bill sweep of Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium. Tech took the first game 12-9 and then overcame the Big Green 11-5 in game two to complete the weekend series sweep.
With the sweep, Tech has won four straight games and moves to 5-2 on the season. The non-conference weekend series sweep of the Big Green is the 11th series win for the Jackets in non-conference play out of the last 12 non-ACC weekend series meetings.
The game one win was head coach Danny Hall‘s 1,200th career win overall.
Game 1: Georgia Tech 12, Dartmouth 9
Tech got two home runs from outfielder Chase Murray (4-for-5, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 4 runs) and one home run from both Kel Johnson (2-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBIs, run) and Austin Wilhite (1-for-4, HR, BB) to outscore the Big Green 12-9 in an offensive slugfest.
Redshirt-sophomore Tristin English (1-for-4, 3B, 2 RBIs, run) and freshman Colin Hall (2-for-3, 2B, BB, 2 RBIs) each drove in two runs apiece for game one as Tech totaled 14 base hits in the win.
After only four hits in Friday night’s shutout loss, Dartmouth posted nine runs on 15 hits in the first game of two on Saturday led by Nate Ostmo (2-for-5, HR, 3 RBIs, 2 runs), Kyle Holbrook (3-for-4, RBI, run), Trevor Johnson (2-for-5, 2 RBIs) and Justin Fowler (1-for-5, HR).
The win went to junior hurler Keyton Gibson (1-0) who came out of the bullpen late to give up just two runs on three hits, while striking out one in 1.1 innings of work.
Senior Jared Datoc (1) earned his first save of the season with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth.
Murray got the scoring starting in the bottom of the first with the first of his two home runs for the contest, a solo shot to right center field, to put Tech up 1-0 after one inning.
After Dartmouth took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second on a Johnson two-run double to left center, the Yellow Jackets answered with a five-run spot in the bottom half of the inning highlighted by back-to-back solo home runs from Johnson and Austin Wilhite to start the inning and then a three-run shot to left field by Murray to cap off the frame and put the White and Gold in front at 6-2.
The Big Green cut into the Tech lead in the top of the fourth on a Fowler home run and a Holbrook RBI single to put the score at 6-4, only to see Tech get those two runs back in the bottom half of the fifth on a two-run triple to left center field by English which put the home team back in front by four at 8-4.
However, since offense was the theme all game long, Dartmouth used a big five-run inning in the sixth to retake the lead at 9-8.
The Big Green did all the damage in the sixth with two outs, as Dustin Shirley and Michael Calamari both had RBI singles before Ostmo blasted a three-run home run to right center field to give the visitors in green a one-run lead.
That would be the last time the Big Green would score, as Georgia Tech tallied the final four runs of the game to earn the come from behind win.
Tech got a two-run single by Colin Hall in the bottom of the seventh and added to its lead with Wade Bailey scoring on a wild pitch and Johnson beating out an infield RBI single in the eighth to help give the Jackets the 12-9 home win.
The two teams combined for 29 hits, 10 of which were extra base hits, 21 runs, 20 RBIs and only four walks in the nine-inning contest.
Game 2: Georgia Tech 11, Dartmouth 5
The Jackets pounded out 19 hits and scored 11 runs to overcome an early 4-0 deficit and take game two 11-5 over the Big Green on Saturday night.
The Tech bullpen was key in the game two win, as the trio of Andy Archer (3.1 IP, run, hit, 4 K), Jonathan Hughes (3.0 IP, BB, 2 K) and Oscar Serratos (1.0, hit, K) held the Big Green to just one run on two hits over the final 6.1 innings in the win.
Archer (1-0) picked up his first career win, going a career-long 3.1 innings and striking out a career-high four batters. The run he allowed was unearned.
Offensively, eight different Yellow Jackets recorded multiple hits for the game highlighted by Kyle McCann (3-for-5, 3 HR, 4 RBIs), English (4-for-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBIs, 2 runs) and Murray (4-for-5, 2B).
With his three home runs, McCann ties the school record for the most home runs in a single game and is the last Jacket to hit three dingers in a game since Johnson did it last season at Georgia Southern (Feb. 21, 2017).
Dartmouth, who scored four of its five runs in the first two innings, were led by Sean Sullivan (3-for-4, 2B, RBI, run), while four other hitters had one hit apiece in the loss.
The Big Green took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a single, double and a ground out to first and then pushed its lead out to 4-0 in the second on a Hayden Rappoport RBI ground-rule double, a ground out and an RBI single by Sullivan.
The Jackets closed the gap to one run in the bottom of the third by way of an English two-run double and a McCann solo home run to right field to put the score at 4-3 in favor of the visitors.
An RBI single by Bailey in the fourth tied the game up at 4-4; however, Dartmouth took advantage of a GT throwing error in the top half of the fifth to retake the lead at 5-4 on an unearned run.
The White and Gold would score the next seven runs – two in the fifth, four in the sixth and one in the eighth – to retake the lead and pull away for the win.
In the fifth, English and McCann hit back-to-back home runs to put Tech on top at 6-5.
One inning later, Murray scored on a Dartmouth throwing error by the catcher, while Joey Bart followed suite by scoring on an RBI single by English to push Tech’s lead to three at 8-5.
The inning was not done there, as McCann hit his third home run of the game over the batter’s eye in straight away center field, this time a two-run shot, to put Tech in front by five at 10-5.
Bart added an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth for good measure to put the final score at 11-5.
The two teams combined to leave 11 guys on base.
The Yellow Jackets (5-2) will remain at home to host Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 4 p.m.
Kyle McCann hit three of Tech’s eight home runs in the DH sweep of Dartmouth today!!! #TogetherWeSwarm pic.twitter.com/BBNIwLEzto
— GeorgiaTech Baseball (@GTBaseball) February 25, 2018
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