April 21, 2017
BLACKSBURG, Va. – It would be the offenses that would dictate the outcomes of the two games of the doubleheader on Friday, as Georgia Tech scored 13 runs on 16 hits in game one to record a 13-3 win, before Virginia Tech posted eight runs on 11 hits in an 8-4 game two win at English Field in Blacksburg, Va.
The split puts Georgia Tech at 19-19 overall on the season and 5-15 in ACC play, while Virginia Tech moves to 20-21 overall and 8-12 in league play.
Game 1: Yellow Jackets 13, Hokies 3
Sophomore catcher Joey Bart went 5-for-6 with a home run, two doubles, two singles, four RBIs and three runs scored to lead the Jackets to a 13-3 rout of the Virginia Tech Hokies in game one on Friday.
Freshmen Chase Murray (2-for-4, 2B, BB) and Austin Wilhite (2-for-5, RBI) each had two hits in the contest, while Trevor Craport went 2-for-6 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI and Coleman Poje went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run. Kyle McCann went 1-for- 3 with a solo home run, two walks and three runs scored, while bothWade Bailey (1-for-5, 2B, BB, 2 runs) and Kel Johnson (1-for-5, BB, RBI, 2 runs) each scored two runs in the win.
GT starter Xzavion Curry (4-4) had a solid outing to earn the win, as the freshman hurler gave up three runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out five over 6.1 innings.
The Hokies were led offensively by Tom Stoffel, who was 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs, while four other VT players had one hit apiece in the loss.
With first pitch at 11:08 a.m. the Jackets found themselves down early, as the Hokies took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI double down the left field line.
After Georgia Tech stranded runners in each of the first three innings, Virginia Tech looked to add to its lead in the bottom of the third with a lead-off walk and a double down the right field line. However, the Jackets’ Curry got the next three batters to strikeout, line out to first base and ground out to the shortstop to get out of the inning unharmed.
The Jackets got on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth, as Bart hit a one-out double to left field and then scored on an RBI single up the middle by Johnson to tie the game up at 1-1.
Three hitters later, following a strikeout and a walk, Wilhite singled through the right side to score a racing Johnson from second base to give the Jackets a 2-1 lead midway through the sixth.
Following a 1-2-3 inning by Curry in the bottom of the sixth, the Jackets exploded in the top half of the seventh as McCann led off the inning with a solo home run to right field. After back-to-back doubles by Bailey and Craport, with Craport’s driving in Bailey for the second run of the inning, Bart stayed hot at the plate and blasted a two-run home run deep to left field to push the Jackets out in front by five at 6-1.
Senior Ryan Peurifoy added to the lead with a two-out RBI single up the middle to extend the visitor’s lead out to six at 7-1 midway through the seventh inning.
Virginia Tech got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run single up the middle by Stoffel to put the score at 7-3, before the Jackets put up another five spot in the top of the eighth to swam out to a 12-3 lead.
In the eighth, McCann and Bailey drew back-to-back walks to start the inning before an error up the middle by the VT second baseman allowed Craport to reach base and load the bases. Bart then singled through the right side to score two and push the White and Gold’s lead to six at 9-3.
Two batters later, Poje hit a long home run to left field for a three-run shot to give the Jackets a 12-3 lead.
The Yellow Jackets added a run in the ninth on a walk, a double and a passed ball to put the score at 13-3.
Game 2: Hokies 8, Jackets 4
Georgia Tech took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth only to have the Hokies scored the next eight runs of the game, including five in the eighth, to come from behind and defeat the Jackets 8-4 in game two of the doubleheader.
Craport paced GT in game two, as the junior was 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored, while both Peurifoy (1-for-4, RBI) and McCann (1-for-4, HR, RBI) each had an RBI in the loss.
For Virginia Tech, Stoffel was 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored, while Rahiem Cooper went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored in the win.
In game two, the Jackets used a long ball off the bat of Craport in the top of the first inning to jump out to an early 2-0 lead after just a half an inning of play.
McCann added to that early lead with a solo shot to right one inning later to give the Jackets a 3-0 lead, before Peurifoy hit an RBI single through the left side in the fourth to propel GT in front at 4-0.
After 1-2-3 innings in the second and third, the Hokies used a lead-off triple, an RBI double, a single, a sacrifice fly, another single and a throwing error to push across three runs and trim the Jackets’ lead to one at 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth.
A heads up hustle play by Johnson on the errant throw kept the tying run from scoring in the inning, as the first baseman chased down the loose ball and threw it to McCann at the plate to throw out VT’s second runner from second base trying to score on the error.
Micah Carpenter came into the game in the bottom of the fourth and got the Jackets out of a jam with two runners on. The sophomore then pitched a scoreless fifth, sixth and seventh inning to keep the Yellow Jackets in front at 4-3 heading into the eighth.
Georgia Tech was unable to add any insurance runs over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, stranding one in each frame which proved to come back and sting the Yellow Jackets, as VT took the lead in the bottom of the eighth.
Closer Zac Ryan (3-3), who was handed the loss, got the first two outs in the inning, but then issued back-to-back walks which sparked the VT offense. The Hokies then put together back-to-back RBI singles to take the lead at 5-4.
Virginia Tech did not stop there, as the Hokies then added a two-run double and an RBI single later in the inning to push the lead out to four at 8-4 going into the ninth.
Tech’s Craport doubled to left with two outs to try to keep the Jackets alive, yet a pop out to the shortstop in shallow left field ended the game with the Hokies on top at 8-4.
The Jackets (19-19, 5-15 ACC) and Virginia Tech (20-21, 8-12 ACC) are scheduled to play the third and final game of the three-game series tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET, weather permitting.
Tech Tidbits
* With the five-run seventh and eighth innings in game one, the Jackets are now 13-3 on the season when recording a big inning (four runs or more) in a game.
* With Virginia Tech’s five-run eighth inning in game two, the Jackets are now 2-10 on the season when giving up a big inning (four runs or more) in a game.
* Kel Johnson has now reached base safely in a season-high 18 straight contests.
* Kyle McCann had a solo home run in both games on Friday.
* Ryan Peurifoy continued his hitting streak, pushing it out to six straight games with a base hit in each contest.
* Trevor Craport pushed his hitting streak to four straight games with a hit in both games.
* Xzavion Curry went a career-long 6.1 innings on the mound for the Jackets in game one 13-3 win.
* Micah Carpenter threw a career-high 3.1 innings out of the bullpen in game two.
* Micah Carpenter also tied his career-high with four strikeouts in the second game of the conference doubleheader.
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