May 13, 2017
DURHAM, N.C. – Georgia Tech took an early 4-0 lead, but saw Duke record 11 runs over the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings to come from behind and defeat the Jackets 12-5 on Saturday afternoon in game two of the ACC Coastal Division series at Jack Coombs Field on the campus of Duke University in Durham, N.C.
The two teams combined to turn five double plays with Duke turning three and the Jackets rolling two in the game.
Offensively, senior outfield Ryan Peurifoy led the Jackets going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while six other Jackets had one hit apiece in the contest. Chase Murray (1-for-4, triple, 2 RBIs, run) and Coleman Poje (1-for-4, triple, RBI, run) each recorded their first career triples on the day.
For Duke, three players posted multiple hits for the contest led by Zack Kone who was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Michael Smicikias went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI and run scored, while Chris Proctor was 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, four RBIs and two runs scored.
The Tech bats swarmed the Blue Devils early, as lead-off hitter Wade Bailey started the game off with a single to center field. After a base-on-balls to Austin Wilhite, Trevor Craport singled to left field to load the bases.
Hitting in the four-spot for the first time this season, Peurifoy singled to center field to score Bailey from third and put the visitors in front early at 1-0.
However, Duke was able to get a comebacker to the mound for a 1-2-3 double play on the next GT batter to get two quick outs and then picked up a fly ball to center field to squash the Jackets chances of adding to their lead.
Duke looked to get the run back in the bottom half of the inning, as the Blue Devils loaded the bases with a one-out single through the left side and back-to-back walks. Nonetheless, like the Blue Devils in the top half of the first, the Jackets got a comebacker to the mound to turn a 1-2-3 double play and get out of the inning unharmed.
After stranding two runners in scoring position in the top of the second, Tech made sure to not leave any Jackets on the pond in the third, as Murray ripped a triple to the right center field gap to score both Peurifoy and Kel Johnson, who both had singled earlier in the inning, to put the visitors on top at 3-0.
Poje then drove in Murray from third on a ground ball to third base to push the Jackets’ lead out to 4-0 midway through the third.
In the bottom of the third, the Blue Devils took advantage of back-to-back walks to start the inning. After a big GT double play up the middle got two outs, a wild pitch allowed the lead-off walk to score from third on the play and trim the Tech lead to three at 4-1.
Duke pushed across another run in the fifth on an RBI double to cut the Yellow Jackets’ lead to two at 4-2, before Poje led off the top of the sixth with a triple to center field and then later scored on a sacrifice fly by Bailey to put the Jackets back out in front by two at 5-3.
However, that would be the last run of the game for the Jackets, while Duke pushed across a total of eight runs over the next two innings to pull out in front.
In the bottom of the sixth the Blue Devils broke the game open with a one-out double, an RBI single, a hit batsman, a walk and a bases clearing three-run triple to take its first lead of the game at 6-5.
Duke then capped off the five-run inning with a sacrifice fly to right field to take a 7-5 lead into the seventh inning.
The home team then added three insurance runs in the seventh on a walk, three straight singles, a Tech throwing error and another RBI single to double the Jackets up at 10-5.
Duke scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out single to center field to put the Blue Devils on top at 12-5, where the score would stand at the end of the game.
Georgia Tech (24-24, 9-17 ACC) and Duke (26-24, 11-15 ACC) will return to action tomorrow afternoon at 1 pm. ET.
Tech Tidbits
* The Jackets are 17-8 overall on the season when scoring in the first inning.
* Tech is also 10-6 on the year when scoring first in the contest.
* Georgia Tech is 8-4 in games played on Saturdays this year.
* The Jackets are just 2-12 on the season when giving up a big inning (four runs or more) in the game.
* Ryan Peurifoy continued his hitting streak, pushing it out to a career-high 16 straight games.
* Wade Bailey has now reached base safely in 20 straight games, a new career high.
* Wade Bailey extended his hitting streak to 10 straight games.
* Trevor Craport pushed his current hitting streak out to six straight games.
* Kyle McCann has reached base safely in five straight contests.
* Chase Murray extended his hitting streak to five straight games.
* Chase Murray recorded his first-ever career triple as a Jacket on the day.
* Coleman Poje posted his first-ever career triple as a Jacket on Saturday.
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