March 26, 2016
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – All-American pitcher Zac Ryan baffled North Carolina hitters and Georgia Tech collected 11 hits Saturday as the 21st Yellow Jackets blanked No. 3 North Carolina 6-0.
Georgia Tech (18-5, 5-4 ACC) won an ACC road series for the first time since April 2015 at Virginia Tech. The Jackets have now four straight series at North Carolina (19-4, 6-3 ACC). Saturday marked Tech’s first road series win at a top-5 team since 2009 at No. 3 Miami.
Ryan (1-0) went a career-best 6.0 innings, allowing two hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Freshman Burton Dulaney collected his second save of the season, scattering two hits in 3.0 innings.
THE LINEUPS
Georgia Tech – Wade Bailey 2B, Connor Justus SS, Matt Gonzalez LF, Kel Johnson RF, Joey Bart DH, Trevor Craport 3B, Tristin English 1B, Carter Hall CF, Arden Pabst C, Zac Ryan P
North Carolina – Brian Miller 1B, Adam Pate RF, Brandon Riley DH, Tyler Ramirez CF, Logan Warmoth SS, Tyler Lynn LF, Eli Sutherland 2B, Kyle Datres 3B, Cody Roberts C, Jason Morgan P
THE BASICS
• With Connor Hall starting in center, Georgia Tech went with its 19th different lineup this season.
• Saturday marked Tech’s first road series win at a top-5 team since 2009 at No. 3 Miami.
• It was Tech’s first ACC shutout win since March 15, 2015, at Duke (4-0).
• It is also only the fourth time Tech has shut out North Carolina in series history (first 9-inning shutout). Tech shut out UNC 2-0 in a 7-inning game on April 20, 1991, in Chapel Hill.
• Georgia Tech now leads the all-time series 75-60, including a 29-26 mark in Chapel Hill.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Matt Gonzalez extended his hit streak to 10 games with an RBI single to center, scoring Connor Justus for a 1-0 lead in the 1st.
• Both teams exchanged scoreless frames until the 5th when Kel Johnson hit the Yellow Jackets’ first home run of the weekend. With a full count and two out, Johnson crushed an opposite-field 2-run home run to right-center in the 5th for a 3-0 lead.
• Two innings later, Wade Bailey hit an opposite-field, lead-off home run to right-center for a 4-0 lead in the 7th. The Jackets added two more runs later in the frame thanks to a throwing error by North Carolina 3B Kyle Datres.
QUOTE BOARD
“I felt our guys played outstanding baseball today. Zac Ryan gave us a big lift by shutting them out for six innings. Of course, we got some big hits from Kel Johnson and Wade Bailey, who also made some big defensive plays. Burton (Dulaney) came on and did what he needed to do. This was a big road series win for us against a really good team.” – Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall on the Jackets’ 6-0 win
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Sophomore RF Kel Johnson extended his hit streak to a career-best 18 games. Johnson went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
• Senior LF Matt Gonzalez also extended his hit streak to 10 games. Gonzalez went 3-for-5 with an RBI. • Sophomore 2B Wade Bailey hit his third home run of the season and went 3-for-5 on the day.
• Georgia Tech collected 10+ hits for the seventh time in the last eight games.
• Junior RHP Zac Ryan (1-0) went a career-best 6.0 innings, scattering two hits and struck out three batters.
• Georgia Tech turned its NCAA-leading 38th double play of the season.
UP NEXT
No. 21 Georgia Tech returns home Wednesday when it hosts in-state rival Georgia Southern at Russ Chandler Stadium. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. ET on WREK 91.1 FM.
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