May 14, 2017
DURHAM, N.C. – Georgia Tech sophomore pitcher Jake Lee went the distance for the first complete game of his career, as Ryan Peurifoy hit a two-run home run in the Jackets’ final at bat to give Lee and the Jackets the 5-3 ACC road win over the Duke Blue Devils on Sunday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C.
With no outs and a runner on first base in the top of the ninth, Peurifoy hit a two-run home run that sailed over the left field wall to give the Jackets the 5-3 road win.
Lee (4-2), who recorded the first complete game for a Jacket starting pitcher since 2013, pitched around five errors, a walk and a hit batter to get the win. He gave up three runs, two of which were earned, on five hits, while striking out four Duke batters in the complete game win.
Lead-off hitter Wade Bailey was 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and a run scored, while Peurifoy went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run. Brandt Stallings (1-for-3, 2B, RBI), Kyle McCann (1-for-3, HR, RBI, run) and Trevor Craport (1-for-4, 2B, RBI) all had one RBI on the day.
For the Blue Devils, Max Miller was 1-for-4 with a home run, while Jimmy Herron went 1-for-5 with an RBI single.
Duke used five pitchers on the day, as reliever Jack Labosky (2-4) suffered the loss giving up the two-run home run in the ninth.
Tech got on the scoreboard first, as Chase Murray and Stallings hit back-to-back two-out doubles down the left line to push across the first run of the game in the top of the second and put the Jackets in front at 1-0.
Duke looked to score in the bottom half of the inning, as a hit batsman and an error up the middle on a routine double play ball put runners on first and second with one out. Lee and the Jackets then got a chopper back to the pitcher and then a diving stop along the first baseline by Kel Johnson to get back-to-back ground outs and get out of the inning unharmed.
The Jackets got out of trouble again in the third inning, as Duke took advantage of two GT errors and a walk to load the bases. However, Lee got a huge two-out strikeout to strand all three runners and keep the Blue Devils off the scoreboard going into the fourth.
After pitching around three errors, a hit batter and a walk over the first five innings, the Blue Devils picked up their first hit of the game with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. The double and another fielding error on the Jackets on the ensuing Duke batter put runners on first and third with two outs.
The Blue Devils then pulled off a delayed still to get the runner across the plate from third before the Jackets could get the runner out on first to tie the game up at 1-1.
The tie did not last long, as McCann hit a monster home run over the right field wall and off the scoreboard to lead off the top of the seventh inning to put the visitors back in front at 2-1.
The top of the order followed with a walk to Bailey and an RBI double off the wall in left center field by Craport to put the Jackets on top by two at 3-1 midway through the seventh.
However, the Blue Devils answered back with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, as Miller homered to left field to open up the rally, before a double, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single through the left side knotted the game back up at 3-3.
Both teams left the go-ahead runner on base in the eighth, before Peurifoy blasted a two-run home run to left field in the top of the ninth to retake the lead at 5-3.
Lee returned to the mound for a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the ninth to complete the win.
Georgia Tech (25-24, 10-17 ACC) will host Georgia Southern on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. ET in the final non-conference game of the 2017 season.
Tech Tidbits
* Jake Lee threw the first complete game for the Jackets since Josh Heddinger threw a complete game two-hit shutout at No. 2 Vanderbilt on June 2, 2013.
* Tech is 11-6 on the year when scoring first in the contest.
* Ryan Peurifoy continued his hitting streak, pushing it out to a career-high 17 straight games with his game-winning two-run home run in the ninth.
* Wade Bailey has now reached base safely in 21 straight games, a new career high.
* Wade Bailey extended his hitting streak to 11 straight games.
* Trevor Craport pushed his current hitting streak out to seven straight games.
* Kyle McCann has reached base safely in six straight contests.
* Kyle McCann blasted his eighth home run of the season in the game.
* Chase Murray extended his hitting streak to six straight games.
* Jake Lee pitched a complete game, the first of his career as a Yellow Jacket.
* Jake Lee has thrown over 7.0-plus innings in each of his last two starts. (7.0-plus vs. Pitt on May 6).
* Kel Johnson left the game after the second inning with an injury.
* Chase Murray was removed from the game in the seventh due to an injury.
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