Tech Rallies With Big Ninth To Beat No. 23 FIU, 16-9
A.J. Murray launched a grand slam as the Yellow Jackets scored eight times in the ninth
THE BASICS:
• Georgia Tech improved to 4-1 this season by rallying in the ninth inning to beat FIU, 16-9, in the opening game of the 16th annual Caravelle Resort's Baseball at the Beach in Conway, S.C.
• After trailing 9-8 entering the ninth, Thomas Smith was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game and Kel Johnson followed by drawing a walk for a 10-9 lead.
• But it was A.J. Murray`s grand slam over the 20-foot wall in center field that made it 14-9 and put the game out of reach.
• Tech led 3-0 after the first, 6-3 in the second and 7-3 in the third before FIU (2-3) chipped away and eventually took a 9-8 lead thanks to a three-run seventh inning.
• Georgia Tech entered the game ranked 28th in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30, while FIU was ranked 23rd by Baseball America.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• Of Tech's 14 hits, six went for extra bases including Murray's second career grand slam.
• It is the second consecutive game that Tech hit a grand slam as Johnson hit one in the seventh inning of Tuesday's 7-4 win at Georgia Southern.
• Murray finished 3-for-5 and set career highs for RBI (six) and runs (four).
• Murray's other grand slam came last year versus Georgia State.
• The Jackets' eight-run uprising in the ninth represented their most runs in an inning since scoring 10 in the fifth during a 14-9 win at Clemson on April 27, 2103.
• Johnson extended his season-opening hitting streak to five games with a double off the wall in the second inning. It was the rookie's seventh extra-base hit of the season. Each of his first five games have included at least one extra-base hit.
• Matt Gonzalez was 3-for-5 and both of Arden Pabst's hits were doubles. Pabst drove in a pair, as did Connor Justus, who was 2-for-5.
• Sophomore lefty Tanner Shelton earned his first career win by tossing the final 2.1 innings, allowing no runs and no walks with four strikeouts.
• Junior lefty Jonathan King was bidding for his 10th career win and turned a 7-5 lead over to the bullpen in the sixth.
• Tech has trailed at some point in each of its first five games.
Coastal Carolina Hangs On For 7-5 Win
Kel Johnson extended his hitting streak to six games with a homer and two RBI
THE BASICS:
• Coastal Carolina scored all seven of its runs in the fifth inning and hung on to defeat Georgia Tech, 7-5, Saturday afternoon at the Caravelle Resort's Baseball at the Beach in Conway, S.C.
• The Yellow Jackets led 2-0 in the fifth and got two back in the sixth and one in the seventh but could get no closer.
• Tech slipped to 4-2, while the host Chanticleers improved to 3-2.
• Tech played both games on Saturday in a persistent light rain with temperatures barely making it out of the 40s.
• Georgia Tech entered the game ranked 28th in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30, having defeated Baseball America's 23rd-ranked team, FIU, 16-9 earlier in the day.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• Freshman Kel Johnson has had at least one extra-base hit in the first six games of his rookie season. He finished the nightcap 2-for-4 with two RBI and a solo homer in the first inning.
• Johnson is hitting .444 and leads the Yellow Jackets in hits (12), RBI (12), doubles (four) and home runs (four).
• Daniel Spingola and Thomas Smith each had two of Tech's eight hits.
• Connor Justus drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to make it 7-3 and Brandon Gold's RBI infield single made it 7-4, but Tech left the bases loaded.
• In the seventh, Johnson's RBI groundout pulled the Jackets within 7-5, but Coastal dodged trouble again by leaving two more Jackets in scoring position.
• Sophomore lefty Ben Parr pitched four shutout innings before encountering trouble in the fifth. He walked six in 4.1 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) and was dealt the loss (1-1).
• Matthew Gorst fanned three in 2.2 innings of relief as Tech tried to rally.
• Casey Schroeder hit a three-run homer and Tyler Chadwick hit a two-run shot to key the Chanticleers' seven-run fifth inning.
• CCU starter Alex Cunningham picked up the win (2-0) while Mike Morrison retired the last eight Jackets he faced in order to nail down his second save.
QUOTEABLE:
• "It was a tough day (weather-wise) and we've been in it all day. It made it maybe a little difficult to pitch, but it really made it hard on ground balls. We made a few uncharacteristic errors and they ended up costing us. It wasn't great baseball weather by any stretch. We battled, but we're really making it too easy for teams to score right now. Give Coastal credit. Schroeder had a big home run. That seven-run inning is hard to overcome."
-- Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall
UP NEXT:
The Yellow Jackets will finish play in the Baseball at the Beach on Sunday morning versus Albany at 10 a.m. The Great Danes defeated NC State, 9-6, earlier Saturday and were set to play Coastal Carolina on Saturday night.
--#TogetherWeSwarm--
A.J. Murray launched a grand slam as the Yellow Jackets scored eight times in the ninth
THE BASICS:
• Georgia Tech improved to 4-1 this season by rallying in the ninth inning to beat FIU, 16-9, in the opening game of the 16th annual Caravelle Resort's Baseball at the Beach in Conway, S.C.
• After trailing 9-8 entering the ninth, Thomas Smith was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game and Kel Johnson followed by drawing a walk for a 10-9 lead.
• But it was A.J. Murray`s grand slam over the 20-foot wall in center field that made it 14-9 and put the game out of reach.
• Tech led 3-0 after the first, 6-3 in the second and 7-3 in the third before FIU (2-3) chipped away and eventually took a 9-8 lead thanks to a three-run seventh inning.
• Georgia Tech entered the game ranked 28th in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30, while FIU was ranked 23rd by Baseball America.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• Of Tech's 14 hits, six went for extra bases including Murray's second career grand slam.
• It is the second consecutive game that Tech hit a grand slam as Johnson hit one in the seventh inning of Tuesday's 7-4 win at Georgia Southern.
• Murray finished 3-for-5 and set career highs for RBI (six) and runs (four).
• Murray's other grand slam came last year versus Georgia State.
• The Jackets' eight-run uprising in the ninth represented their most runs in an inning since scoring 10 in the fifth during a 14-9 win at Clemson on April 27, 2103.
• Johnson extended his season-opening hitting streak to five games with a double off the wall in the second inning. It was the rookie's seventh extra-base hit of the season. Each of his first five games have included at least one extra-base hit.
• Matt Gonzalez was 3-for-5 and both of Arden Pabst's hits were doubles. Pabst drove in a pair, as did Connor Justus, who was 2-for-5.
• Sophomore lefty Tanner Shelton earned his first career win by tossing the final 2.1 innings, allowing no runs and no walks with four strikeouts.
• Junior lefty Jonathan King was bidding for his 10th career win and turned a 7-5 lead over to the bullpen in the sixth.
• Tech has trailed at some point in each of its first five games.
Coastal Carolina Hangs On For 7-5 Win
Kel Johnson extended his hitting streak to six games with a homer and two RBI
THE BASICS:
• Coastal Carolina scored all seven of its runs in the fifth inning and hung on to defeat Georgia Tech, 7-5, Saturday afternoon at the Caravelle Resort's Baseball at the Beach in Conway, S.C.
• The Yellow Jackets led 2-0 in the fifth and got two back in the sixth and one in the seventh but could get no closer.
• Tech slipped to 4-2, while the host Chanticleers improved to 3-2.
• Tech played both games on Saturday in a persistent light rain with temperatures barely making it out of the 40s.
• Georgia Tech entered the game ranked 28th in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30, having defeated Baseball America's 23rd-ranked team, FIU, 16-9 earlier in the day.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• Freshman Kel Johnson has had at least one extra-base hit in the first six games of his rookie season. He finished the nightcap 2-for-4 with two RBI and a solo homer in the first inning.
• Johnson is hitting .444 and leads the Yellow Jackets in hits (12), RBI (12), doubles (four) and home runs (four).
• Daniel Spingola and Thomas Smith each had two of Tech's eight hits.
• Connor Justus drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to make it 7-3 and Brandon Gold's RBI infield single made it 7-4, but Tech left the bases loaded.
• In the seventh, Johnson's RBI groundout pulled the Jackets within 7-5, but Coastal dodged trouble again by leaving two more Jackets in scoring position.
• Sophomore lefty Ben Parr pitched four shutout innings before encountering trouble in the fifth. He walked six in 4.1 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) and was dealt the loss (1-1).
• Matthew Gorst fanned three in 2.2 innings of relief as Tech tried to rally.
• Casey Schroeder hit a three-run homer and Tyler Chadwick hit a two-run shot to key the Chanticleers' seven-run fifth inning.
• CCU starter Alex Cunningham picked up the win (2-0) while Mike Morrison retired the last eight Jackets he faced in order to nail down his second save.
QUOTEABLE:
• "It was a tough day (weather-wise) and we've been in it all day. It made it maybe a little difficult to pitch, but it really made it hard on ground balls. We made a few uncharacteristic errors and they ended up costing us. It wasn't great baseball weather by any stretch. We battled, but we're really making it too easy for teams to score right now. Give Coastal credit. Schroeder had a big home run. That seven-run inning is hard to overcome."
-- Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall
UP NEXT:
The Yellow Jackets will finish play in the Baseball at the Beach on Sunday morning versus Albany at 10 a.m. The Great Danes defeated NC State, 9-6, earlier Saturday and were set to play Coastal Carolina on Saturday night.
--#TogetherWeSwarm--
