April 8, 2016
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PITTSBURGH – Behind the stellar play of Brandon Gold, Matthew Gorst and Matt Gonzalez, the 24th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fought the northern cold Friday afternoon for a 6-3 win at Pittsburgh.
Gonzalez, who returned to the lineup after a four-game layoff due to injury, went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and added a critical outfield assist in the 4th inning.
Gold (4-1) went 7.0 innings for the fourth straight start, allowing two runs on six hits with five strikeouts to earn his fourth win of the season. Gorst pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief for his eighth save of the season.
Following the conclusion of Friday’s series opener, both Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall and Pitt skipper Joe Jordano decided to cancel Saturday’s game because of a winter weather advisory. Sunday’s 12 p.m. game is still on as scheduled and will be broadcast on ESPN3 and WREK 91.1 FM.
THE BASICS
• Senior LF Matt Gonzalez returned to the lineup after missing the last four games due to injury.
• Georgia Tech won for the first time at Pitt; the Panthers still lead the series 4-3, including a 3-1 lead in Pittsburgh.
• Georgia Tech has now turned an NCAA-leading 44 double plays this season.
• Georgia Tech improved to 21-0 when allowing five or fewer runs in a game.
• Georgia Tech is now 23-0 when allowing seven or fewer runs in a game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Georgia Tech scored 4 runs in the 2nd to take a 4-0 lead. Tristin English opened the inning with a lead-off single to left and Trevor Craport followed with a double to left. Ryan Peurifoy played the Jackets’ first run with an RBI sacrifice fly to center. Two batters later, Wade Bailey laid down a perfect squeeze bunt in front of the plate to score Craport. Connor Justus then cleared the bases with a 2-RBI triple to right-center for a 4-0 advantage.
• Tech added an insurance run in the 5th for a 5-0 lead. Gonzalez, who led off with a double to center, scored on English’s RBI single through the left side.
• Gonzalez made it a 6-0 lead after his opposite-field solo home run to right-center.
• Pittsburgh ended its scoreless draught after a Rob Sherman 2-run home run to right, cutting Tech’s lead to 6-2.
• Pitt added a run in the 8th on David Yanni’s RBI double to right-center.
QUOTE BOARD
“Brandon Gold was really good for us. He had some great at bats early on. It was nice to have Matt Gonzalez back in the lineup. Connor Justus had some big hits for us early in the game. I thought we played well to hold on and (Matthew) Gorst was really good in end.” – Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall on the Jackets’ series opening win
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Junior SS Connor Justus went 2-for-5 with 2 RBI for the Jackets. With his two hits, Justus now has 47 on the season, surpassing his 2015 season hit total (46).
• Junior RHP Brandon Gold went at least 7.0 innings for the fourth consecutive start.
• Senior LF Matt Gonzalez’s outfield assist in the 4th was his 5th of the season and his 4th when throwing out a runner at home.
• Junior RHP Matthew Gorst earned his 8th save of the season. Gorst is now tied for 14th on Tech’s career list with 9 saves, while his 8 saves now rank 7th on Tech’s single-season list.
UP NEXT
With Saturday’s game canceled, Georgia Tech and Pitt will meet again at 12 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be available on ESPN3 and WREK 91.1 FM.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GTBaseball), Facebook (facebook.com/GTbaseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
