Georgia Tech Baseball: Jackets finish opening weekend above .500

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley | Feb 18, 2019

4 Mar 1998: A general view of a baseball laying in a glove on the grass during an Arizona Diamondbacks spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Hohkam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Cubs 9-8. /

The Georgia Tech baseball program finished their opening weekend of the 2019 season above .500 after splitting a doubleheader on Saturday.

An extra-innings win over the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday evening allowed the Yellow Jackets to finish the opening weekend of the 2019 season above .500. The Jackets bounced back on Saturday evening after suffering a 7-1 loss to the hands of Richmond on Saturday afternoon.

In game one of their doubleheader against Richmond, the Jackets never were able to get their bats going, picking up just five hits in the game. The combination of the Jackets struggles at the plate and a four-run fifth inning by Richmond was plenty for the Jackets to take their first loss of the season.

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The Jackets pitching staff outside of Amos Willingham had a pretty solid day, allowing just two runs on six hits. Willingham, however, struggled giving up five runs on seven hits. He’ll get plenty of chances to bounce back for the Jackets this season.

In game two of the doubleheader, left-hander Connor Thomas got the start for the Yellow Jackets and put together a quality performance. Thomas allowed three runs (none earned) over seven innings. He also struck out 10 Mountaineers in the game while walking a pair. The Jackets bullpen was dominant in relief as well, giving up just one hit and one run over three innings. Defensively, it was an ugly game for the Jackets as they tallied up five errors over the 11-inning victory.

Offensively, the Jackets mustered up five runs on 10 hits. The Jackets got on the board early in the first and an additional run in the second inning. Catcher Kyle McCann hit his second home run of the season in the process. Following the second, the Jackets bats would go silent until adding a run in the sixth inning.

It wouldn’t be until the 11th inning that the Jackets would score again, that’s when centerfielder Nick Wilhite, who was 0-for-4 coming into the at-bat was able to knock in the winning run with an RBI single. It was an at-bat that fired back on the Mountaineers as they intentionally walked pinch hitter Cole Neuber to get to Wilhite. But the Jackets will certainly take the extra-innings victory.

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The Jackets will be back on the diamond on Tuesday night when they travel to Statesboro to take on the Georgia Southern Eagles. The Eagles will enter the matchup with a 1-2 record after losing two of three to No.20 Auburn over the weekend.