LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – In another extra-innings affair – this one lasting five-and-a-half hours – Georgia Tech baseball suffered a heartbreaker, falling 12-11 to Georgia State in 14 innings on Tuesday night at Coolray Field.
With the Yellow Jackets (16-9) facing a two-run deficit in the top of the ninth with two outs and two runners on, Kristian Campbell smashed an RBI single up the middle before chaos ensued. As Jett Lovett beat the throw from the outfield to score from second, the Panthers’ (14-11) catcher air-mailed a throw to second that rolled deep into center field to allow both Campbell and Jake DeLeo to score on the error.
Unfortunately, Tech couldn’t close it out in the bottom half as an unearned run crossed against LHP Joseph Mannelly with two outs in the inning.
Tech turned to true freshmen RHP Demitri Diamant and LHP Noah Samol, who turned in career outings. Diamant pitched 2.1 shutout innings and allowed just two hits and struck out three, entering in with runners on first and second and two outs in the 10th.
Samol (0-1) went 1.2 innings of two-hit work and suffered the tough-luck loss when a two-out fastball got away and bounced high up into the air to allow the runner to score from third on the wild pitch.
Offensively, the Jackets were led by DeLeo, who went 3-for-7 with a double and a home run for three RBI. Campbell had two hits for three RBI as well as Drew Compton mashed a team-high four hits on the night, including a double. Also finishing with two hits were Jadyn Jackson and Jackson Finley, while Tyler Minnick drove in two runs on his lone hit.
Georgia State was led by Matt Ruiz, who finished 4-for-7 with a home run and three RBI. RHP Gorman Brooks (1-0) got the win, pitching 3.0 innings and surrendering just two hits.
Georgia Tech remains on the road when it travels to Boston College on March 31-April 2. First pitch on Friday is set for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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