March 25, 2016
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The 21st-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were held to a season-low five hits and were shut out for the first time this season Friday in an 8-0 loss to No. 3 North Carolina.
The loss snapped Georgia Tech’s (17-5, 4-4 ACC) five-game winning streak and its streak of six straight games with 10 or more hits. It was the first time Tech was shut out since ending the 2015 season with an 11-0 loss to Virginia at the ACC Tournament.
North Carolina (19-3, 6-2 ACC) evened the series behind J.B. Bukauskas, who scattered four hits and struck out 11 Yellow Jackets in 8.0 innings of work.
THE LINEUPS
Georgia Tech – Wade Bailey 2B, Connor Justus SS, Matt Gonzalez LF, Kel Johnson RF, Joey Bart C, Trevor Craport 3B, Tristin English 1B, Ryan Peurifoy CF, Arden Pabst DH, Keyton Gibson P
North Carolina – Brian Miller 1B, Adam Pate RF, Brandon Riley DH, Tyler Ramirez CF, Logan Warmoth SS, Tyler Lynn LF, Eli Sutherland 2B, Cody Roberts C, Zach Gahagan 3B, J.B. Bukauskas
THE BASICS
• Friday was the sixth straight game Georgia Tech has used the same batting lineup. Tech is now 5-1 in those contests.
• Georgia Tech is 18-14 in its last 32 games against the ACC’s North Carolina schools.
• Tech leads the all-time series 74-60 with a 28-26 advantage in Chapel Hill.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• North Carolina jumped on Keyton Gibson early to take a 3-0 lead in the 1st. All three Tar Heel runs came with two outs. Logan Warmoth drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single to center. Eli Sutherland followed with a 2-RBI single up the middle for the 3-run advantage.
• Georgia Tech has an opportunity to respond in the top of the 2nd. The Yellow Jackets loaded the bases with back-to-back-to-back singles from Kel Johnson, Joey Bart and Trevor Craport. However, Tristin English lined into a double play and Ryan Peurifoy flied out to center to squander the Jackets’ best scoring chance of the night.
• Tyler Ramirez hit a lead-off home run to right field in the 3rd to extend the Tar Heels’ lead to 4-0.
• A Matt Gonzalez fielding error in left led to another UNC run in the 5th. Ramirez reached on Gonzalez’s dropped fly and later scored on Tyler Lynn’s RBI groundout.
• North Carolina sealed the game with a 3-run 7th inning for the eventual 8-0 win.
QUOTE BOARD
“We had a chance to get out of the 1st inning, but we couldn’t make a play. Tristin (English) slipped on a routine play [which would have been the third out] and they ended up getting three runs after that. Then we loaded the bases [in the 2nd], but we lined into a double play and that took the momentum away. We couldn’t do anything after that. I thought (Ben) Parr did an outstanding job in relief – he kept us in the game and really gave us an opportunity to win until they had another big inning in the 7th.” – Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall on the Jackets’ 8-0 loss at No. 3 UNC
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• After hitting 10 singles on Thursday night, Georgia Tech’s first three hits Friday were also singles. Tech’s last two hits of the night were doubles.
• Tech’s five hits are a season low and snapped the Jackets’ streak of six straight games with 10+ hits.
• It was the first time Tech had been shut out since May 19, 2015, vs. Virginia in the ACC Tournament. It was also Tech’s fewest hits since the Virginia game.
• At one point, UNC’s J.B. Bukauskas retired 17 straight Georgia Tech batters.
• Freshman C Joey Bart threw out two North Carolina would-be base-stealers at 2nd.
• Sophomore RF Kel Johnson went 1-for-4, extending his hit streak to a career-best 17 games.
• Senior LF Matt Gonzalez also went 1-for-4, extending his hit streak to nine games.
• Sophomore 3B Trevor Craport led the Jackets with two hits.
UP NEXT
The series finale between No. 21 Georgia Tech and No. 3 North Carolina is set for 2 p.m. ET Saturday. The game will be available on ESPN3 and WREK 91.1 FM.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GTBaseball), Facebook (facebook.com/GTbaseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
