FORT MILL, SC (May 17) – Junior southpaw Cory Vance tossed a complete game five-hitter to lead third-ranked Georgia Tech over 16th-ranked Wake Forest, 6-3, in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament at Knights Stadium.
The victory advanced the Yellow Jackets (44-14) into the semifinals of the ACC Tournament where they will face either Clemson or Florida State on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The Demon Deacons (39-17-1) drop to the loser’s bracket where they will face Virginia on Friday at 12 p.m.
Vance (12-2) tossed his league-leading fifth complete game of the season after holding Wake Forest to five hits, including four singles. Vance walked one batter and stuck out five, and he needed just 101 pitches to pick up his league-leading 12th win of the season.
Wake Forest starter Matt Briggs (2-3) took the loss despite a solid complete-game effort. The righthander allowed six runs on 10 hits in eight innings of work.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Tech took a 2-0 lead. Jason Basil drew a one-out walk, stole second base, and took third on a Derik Goffena single. Victor Menocal drove in Basil with an infield single while Wes Rynders plated Goffena with a two-out RBI single.
Wake Forest immediately answered with two runs in the top of the fifth to knot the score at 2-2. Jamie Athas drove in a run with a single and Ricky Mendez tied the score with a RBI groundout.
Georgia Tech broke the tie with three runs in the sixth inning. Richard Lewis drove in two runs with a bases loaded double, while Brad Stockton drove in the third run of the frame with a RBI groundout.
Wake Forest’s Carlos Brackley cut the lead to 5-3 with a solo homer in the seventh, but Goffena blasted his third home run of the season in the bottom of that inning to provide the final 6-3 margin. Goffena finished the game with two hits and three runs scored, while Lewis, Stockton and Rynders each had two hits.
Brackley paced the Demon Deacon offense with two hits in two at bats.
Georgia Tech righthander Rhett Parrott will get start on the mound on Friday night in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
