ATLANTA (Mar. 22) – Freshman Tyler Parker’s two-run pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted No. 14 Georgia Tech over Eastern Kentucky, 5-4, on Wednesday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Parker’s blast, his sixth of the season, propelled the Jackets (17-6) to their eighth straight victory.
Tech jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, courtesy of a sacrifice fly by Derik Goffena. The Colonels (8-12) matched with a run of their own in the third on an RBI single by Adam Basil, tying the score at 1-1.
EKU took the lead in the fifth on a solo home run by Kiley Vaughn. The Jackets answered back with a pair an inning later, as an RBI single by Richard Lewis and RBI double by Mark Teixeira put Tech back ahead, 3-2.
Mike Schneider tied the score at 3-3 in the top of the seventh with an RBI single for Eastern Kentucky, setting the stage for Parker’s blast in the bottom half of the inning.
The Colonels plated one in the top of the ninth, but left the tying run at first to end the game.
Steve Kelly (2-1) took the win on the mound for the Jackets, having worked seven innings, allowing three runs and five hits, while striking out a career-high 12. Rhett Parrott picked up his first save of the year by pitching the final two frames.
Eastern Kentucky’s Keith Mumane (0-2) was credited with the loss, having allowed Parker’s two-run home run. Mumane allowed two runs and four hits over two innings in relief of EKU starter Corey Eagle.
Georgia Tech returns to action on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium, as the Jackets host Duke in the opener of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series.
