May 16, 2015
TECH STARTERS: Innis/LF, Spingola/CF, Gonzalez/3B, Murray/C, Johnson/DH, Smith/1B, Bailey/2B, Pabst/C, Justus/SS, Gold/SP.
MIAMI STARTERS: Eusebio/CF, Barr/1B, Iskenderian/2B, Collins/DH, Thompson/3B, Kennedy/C, Abreu/RF, Lopez/SS, Heyward/LF, Sosa/SP.
THE BASICS:
• No. 8 Miami rallied over the middle innings to beat Georgia Tech, 17-4, Saturday at Mark Light Field on the final day of the regular season.
• The Yellow Jackets clinched an ACC Tournament spot thanks to Duke’s win over Wake Forest and will play Virginia Tuesday in Durham in the opening round.
• Tech ends the regular season 32-22 and 13-17 in the ACC, while Miami hits the postseason 42-13, 22-8.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• A.J. Murray’s RBI single gave the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 lead in the first as Tech got four hits in the opening frame off Miami starter Enrique Sosa.
• After the Hurricanes answered with a run in third and grabbed the lead with a three-run fourth, the Jackets went back to work in the fifth.
• Connor Justus led off the inning with his first home run of the season — a deep blast to left — and Keenan Innis followed in the next at-bat with a triple down the right-field line.
• Daniel Spingola’s RBI grounder made it 4-3 and Murray smashed a game-tying blast off the scoreboard later in the frame.
• But it was all Miami after that as the Hurricanes regained the lead in the home half of the fifth and put the game away with a seven-run sixth.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• Tech starter Brandon Gold was tagged the loss (7-3), allowing six runs in 4.1 innings.
• Murray and Matt Gonzalez each had two hits for the Jackets. Murray’s homer was his team-leading 15th of the season.
• Zack Collins — a three-run blast — and David Thompson hit back-to-back homers in the sixth for Miami.
• Sosa was knocked from the game after allowing eight hits and four runs in 4.2 innings.
• Cooper Hammond tossed 1.2 scoreless innings to earn the win (4-1).
UP NEXT: The 10th-seeded Yellow Jackets will play seventh-seeded Virginia Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the opening round of the 2015 ACC Championship at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. Tech is the defending tournament champions and have made every ACC Tournament since joining the league.
