March 10, 2018
CLEMSON, S.C. – No. 30 Georgia Tech fell to the No. 6 Clemson Tigers in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. The Tigers defeated the Jackets 7-3 in game one and then 13-2 in game two in what ended up being a day and night doubleheader due to a close to three hour rain delay in between games.
The two losses on Saturday drops Tech to 9-5 overall and 0-3 in the ACC. The two wins bump Clemson to 15-1 and 3-0 in league play.
Game 1: No. 6 Clemson 7, No. 3 Georgia Tech 3
The Yellow Jackets scored first, but saw a four-run fourth and a three-run eighth by the Tigers give the home team a large enough lead to overcome a late two-run home run by the Jackets in a 7-3 win in game two of the three-game ACC series on Saturday afternoon.
Georgia Tech’s Connor Thomas (2-1) suffered the loss despite going a career-long 7.0-plus innings and striking out a career-high nine Clemson hitters. Thomas surrendered five runs, three of which were earned, including four runs in the fourth, in the loss.
Clemson’s Spencer Strider (2-0) earned the win, as the righty struck out five over 2.1-scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He gave up four hits and one walk on the day.
Fellow reliever Carson Spiers (3) picked up the save despite allowing two runs on two hits, two walks and two strikeouts over 2.2 innings of work.
Tech’s Joey Bart (3-for-4, HR, BB, 2 RBIs, run), Tristin English (2-for-5, RBI), Colin Hall (2-for-4), and Wade Bailey (2-for-5, 2 runs) all had multiple hits for the game, while Chase Murray (1-for-4, BB) continued his strong season by reaching base safely twice in the loss.
The Tigers’ three and four-hole hitters in Patrick Cromwell (3-for-4, 2 runs) and Chris Williams (3-for-4, 2 runs) combined to go 6-for-8 with four runs scored, while Drew Wharton (2-for-4, 2 RBIs, run) and Seth Beer (1-for-4, HR) combined to drive in three RBIs in the win.
After fighting back for most of the contest in the series opener on Friday night, the Jackets scored first in the top of the third on a two-out RBI single to left field off the bat of English to take a 1-0 lead midway through the third.
The Tigers took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a little help from the Jackets, as the home team started the frame with back-to-back singles. A Tech throwing error to first base on a sacrifice bunt attempt allowed the lead runner to score from second and tie the game up at 1-1.
The next batter doubled down the right field line to plate two more Tigers, before a sacrifice fly to deep right field pushed the home team’s lead out to three at 4-1 after four innings played.
The Jackets threatened in the seventh, as Murray and Bart ripped back-to-back one-out singles to put runners on first and second. However, a hot shot to shortstop by English set up a 6-4-3 double play to end the frame and allow the Tigers to escape unharmed and with the 4-1 lead.
Clemson added three more runs in the bottom of the eighth on a Beer home run, a sacrifice fly and a Georgia Tech fielding error to take a 7-1 lead into the ninth.
Refusing to quit, the Jackets’ Bailey led off the inning with a single and then scored two batters later on a missile of a home run to center field by Bart to put the score at 7-3.
That would be all Tech would get for the inning, as the Tigers pitched around a two-out walk to hold on for the 7-3 win.
GT put a runner on base in every inning of the contest, leaving 12 runners on base for the nine-inning affair. Clemson left five runners on base in the win.
Game 2: No. 6 Clemson 13, No. 30 Georgia Tech 2
The Jackets struggled from the start in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday night, as Clemson led from start to finish in the 13-2 win.
English (2-for-4, run) was the lone Jacket with two hits on the game, while Kyle McCann (1-for-4, HR) drove in the only two Tech runs with a two-run home run in the fourth.
Clemson had eight different guys register a hit on the night led by Bryce Teodosio (2-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs, 2 runs), Grayson Byrd (3-for-5, 2 RBIs, 2 runs) and Logan Davidson (1-for-5, 2B, 3 RBIs). Beer (1-for-3, HR, 2 BBs, 2 RBIs, 3 runs) and Williams (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs) each had a home run in the win.
The loss fell to Tech starter Brant Hurter (0-1), as the freshman struggled with his control from the opening pitch in walking three, hitting one batter, giving up three hits and allowing seven runs in an inning of work.
CU’s Jake Higginbotham (3-0) picked up the win, as he held Tech to just two runs on four hits, while striking out four over 5.0 innings.
After over a two and a half hour break between games due to rain, the White and Gold found themselves playing from behind from the start of game two of the twin bill, as the Tigers loaded the bases with a hit batsman and back-to-back walks three batters in.
Clemson followed with a sacrifice fly to right center to take a 1-0 lead and then an RBI single to left center field to double its lead at 2-0. Following a strikeout for out number two, the Tigers loaded the bases again with a base on balls and then picked up a two-run single through the left side to take a 4-0 lead.
A fielder’s choice that failed to get the third out of the inning kept the home team alive and the Tigers obliged with a bases clearing three-run double to left center field just out of the reach of a diving Nick Wilhite to cap the seven-inning run and take a 7-0 lead after one inning of play.
The two teams then traded two-run home runs, Beer for Clemson in the bottom of the third and McCann for the Jackets in the top of the fourth, to put the score at 9-2 in favor of the home team midway through the fourth.
However, the Tigers were not done, as Williams snuck a long fly ball just inside the right field foul pole for a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth, before a walk, two passed balls and an RBI single in the fifth pushed the home team in front by nine at 11-2.
A solo home run in the seventh and an RBI single in the eighth by Teodosio put the Tigers up 13-2 where the score would stand at the end of the game.
The Yellow Jackets (9-6, 0-3 ACC) will wrap up its five-game road trip at nationally-ranked Auburn on Tuesday night, March 13, at 7 p.m. ET.
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