By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
ATLANTA, Ga. – For the second straight day, the Tennessee Tech baseball team couldn't make an early advantage last against No. 22 nationally-ranked Georgia Tech, as the Golden Eagles fell to the Yellow Jackets at Mac Nease Baseball Park and Russ Chandler Stadium Saturday afternoon, 10-4.
After the two sides traded zeros to open the ball game in the first inning, Tech's patience at the plate paid off in the second. Designated hitter Hayden Gilliland led things off with a walk and advanced to second two batters later on a single by catcher Will Long.
First baseman Preston Ford watched four pitches miss the zone to load the bases. A based ball and wild pitch allowed back-to-back runs score for the purple and gold, giving Tech an early 2-0 lead.
Center fielder Jackson Green drew another walk for the Golden Eagles, prompting a Georgia Tech pitching change. Shortstop Troy Baunsgard made a 3-0 Tech advantage, sending a sac fly to left field.
Golden Eagle hurler Brock Smith worked his way out of trouble in the second, holding the Yellow Jackets scoreless despite a bases-loaded jam. The southpaw finished the day with two and two-thirds innings of work, fanning three without allowing a hit and just one run.
Right fielder Theo Bryant IV pushed the Golden Eagle lead to four in the third inning, blasting a lead-off bomb to left-center field. It marked his first long ball of the season.
The Yellow Jacket pitching staff shut down the Tech offense the remainder of the day, allowing just one more hit following the third frame. Georgia Tech also went to work with the bats, scoring once in the third before tying things up in the fourth with a two-run shot.
The home squad took its first lead of the day in the fifth with an RBI double, but it was the eighth inning that saw Georgia Tech pull away for the second game in a row. With both sides trading scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh, Yellow Jackets used a two-run dinger and three-run blast to plate five and take the final lead of 10-4.
Bryant led the Tech offense with a 2-for-3 day and an RBI while Long and Tanner Shiver each picked up base knocks as well.
The series finale is set for a 12:00 p.m. CT first pitch Sunday afternoon at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium.
File photo courtesy of Georgia Tech Communications office
