April 18, 2018
ICYMI: Here is Kyle McCann‘s grand slam from tonight versus Kennesaw State. Give him three grand slams in the last six games. pic.twitter.com/VD6EngbBcj
— GeorgiaTech Baseball (@GTBaseball) April 19, 2018
THE FLATS – Behind a career-high seven RBIs from Kyle McCann and five RBIs by Wade Bailey, the Yellow Jackets scored a season-high 17 runs in a 17-7 rout of the Kennesaw State Owls in an in-state midweek contest on Wednesday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets had a total of eight extra-base hits, four home runs and four doubles, and a total of 18 base knocks in the home win over the Owls to improve to 17-7 at home this season.
With the win, the Jackets move to 5-3 versus their in-state foes this season with two games remaining versus the Georgia Bulldogs.
The offensive slugfest was led by McCann (3-for-5, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 3 runs) who hit a grand slam and a three-run home run for his third multi-home run game of the season. Bailey (3-for-5, HR, 5 RBIs, run) hit his first home run of the season, which aided his career night in RBIs, while off-the-bench freshman Baron Radcliff (2-for-2, HR, 2B, 3 RBIs, run) had a two-run home run and an RBI double in the win.
McCann’s seven RBIs is not only a new career-high for a single game, but it is also the most RBIs in a game for a Tech player since Matt Skole drove in eight RBIs at Georgia on May 22, 2011.
Luke Waddell (2-for-5, RBI, run) and Tristin English (2-for-4, 2 2B, BB, RBI, 2 runs) had the other two RBIs, while catcher Joey Bart (2-for-2, 3 BB, 4 runs) reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances.
The Owls also posted double-digit hits on the night, as Forrest Bramlett (2-for-3, HR, BB, 3 RBIs, run), Terence Norman (2-for-4, RBI), Tyler Simon (2-for-5, run) and Grant Williams (2-for-5, 3B, RBI, run) all had two hits apiece in the loss.
Freshman starter Brant Hurter (4-2) picked up the win, allowing four runs on seven hits, one walk and five strikeouts over 5.0-complete innings.
The loss fell to KSU starter Ryan Kennedy (2-6) who was touched up for seven runs, six of which were earned, on nine hits, one walk and two strikeouts over 3.2 innings of work.
With the wind blowing out, both offenses took full advantage early, as Tech took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI double off the wall in left center field by English, followed by an infield RBI single off the bat of Bailey to push the home team in front after just one inning of play.
Kennesaw State answered with a Bramlett three-run home run to center field in the top of the second to take a 3-2 lead, only to see the Jackets respond in a grand way on a McCann grand slam to right center field to push the White and Gold back out on top at 6-3 through two innings.
The grand slam was McCann’s third grand salami over the last six games.
After KSU pushed across a run in the top of the fourth on a two-out RBI single to center field to cut the GT lead to 6-4, the Jackets used another long ball in the bottom half of the inning by way of a three-run home run from Bailey to extend its lead to five at 9-4 heading into the fifth inning.
The Jackets nor McCann were done for the game, as the home team scored four more runs in the bottom of the fifth on a Waddell RBI single and a three-run home run by McCann to blow the game open with a 13-4 lead for the home team.
KSU added a run on an RBI single in the sixth to get to within eight at 13-5, before Radcliff hit an RBI double just inside the left-field line to push its lead back to nine at 14-5.
The back-and-forth scoring continued with the Owls scoring two more runs in the top of the seventh, and the Jackets again countering with a run in the bottom half of the inning on a Bailey RBI single and then two more in the eighth on a two-run home run off the batter’s eye in center field by Radcliff to put the final score at 17-7 in favor of the home team.
The defense for the Jackets turned three double plays, tying a season-high, with none being nicer than the 6-4-3 double play to end the game in the bottom of the ninth.
The Yellow Jackets (22-16, 9-9 ACC) hit the road to take on No. 8 North Carolina (24-13, 12-6 ACC) in ACC Coastal Division play this weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C.
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Senior co-captain Wade Bailey had a career-high 🤚 RBIs on Wednesday night. Combined with Kyle McCann‘s career-high 7 RBIs, the duo drove in 12 of our season-high 17 runs in the win over KSU tonight. #TogetherWeSwarm pic.twitter.com/cONBFIR2t5
— GeorgiaTech Baseball (@GTBaseball) April 19, 2018
