Jackets' impressive start continues with 25-1 win at Georgia Southern
Georgia Tech’s offense scored the most runs ever against in-state foe Georgia Southern and the Jackets’ pitching staff tied a program record for single-game strikeouts in a dominant 25-1 victory in Statesboro on Tuesday night.
Georgia Tech (4-0) scored early and often en route to 25 runs on 26 hits as 15 different players recorded hits and nine different players had at least one RBI as the Jackets’ bats continued their early-season explosion.
After scoring a run in the top of the first to take a quick 1-0 lead, Georgia Tech busted the game open with seven in the second and five more in the third to lead 13-0. From there, the offense added on two apiece in the fifth and sixth and put the icing on the cake with an eight-run seventh before Georgia Southern (0-4) scratched across its only run of the contest in the ninth.
Jackets at the plate…
Several players had standout offensive nights with seven different Jackets recording multi-hit nights. Vahn Lackey had two hits, including a homer, four RBIs and four runs scored while Ryan Zimmerman had a double and a triple among three hits to go with five RBIs.
Drew Burress added three hits of his own, including a double, to go with two RBIs and three runs scored, and Kent Schmidt also had three hits with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Will Baker was the fourth Jacket with at least three hits as he also scored two runs.
Alex Hernandez and Carson Kerce each had a pair of hits with both of Kerce’s knocks being doubles while Hernandez drove in two runs and scored three. Rounding out the offensive stats were Jarren Advincula with a hit, two RBIs and two runs scored, Nathanael Coupet with a hit and an RBI, Parker Brosius with a three-run homer and Judson Hartwell with a hit and his first collegiate RBI.
Georgia Tech’s 75 runs through the first four games are the most for the program since scoring 88 in in 1975.
Jackets on the mound…
Georgia Tech used six pitchers in the victory with none giving up an earned run and the staff only allowing six total hits combined.
Dylan Loy got his first start as a Jacket and went two innings while not allowing a run on two hits and struck out six.
Carson Ballard took over for one inning of scoreless work as he allowed two hits and struck out three, and Jackson Blakely (1-0) followed with three innings of shutout baseball as he earned the win after giving up just two hits and striking out five.
Completing the evening were Adam McKelvey, Brett Barfield and Jake Lankie with one inning of relief apiece as McKelvey and Barfield both recorded scoreless, hitless innings and each struck out two (McKelvey issued one walk). Lankie pitched the ninth and gave up one unearned run on one hit with one strikeout.
Georgia Tech’s 19 strikeouts matched the single-game record which matches the mark set in 1975 against Earlham and in 1989 against Augusta.
Up next…
Georgia Tech returns home for a four-game weekend set vs. Stony Brook starting on Friday with a 4 p.m. first pitch at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The series continues with a doubleheader on Saturday as games are scheduled to start at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. before things wrap up on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
