After a late-game collapse on Friday night, the Georgia Tech Baseball team rallied late on Saturday night to defeat the Pittsburgh Panthers 5-3 in game two of their three-game weekend series in Atlanta.
Tech starter Andy Archer started off the game a bit shaky at times but really settled in as the game progressed. He finished his start with seven innings pitched, allowing just two earned runs on three hits and a pair of walks.
Offensively for the Jackets, it was the usual suspects. Freshman catcher Kevin Parada continues to be a terror at the plate, he went 3-for-5 in the game with one RBI. His batting average for the season is now up to .511 on the season. Also driving in runs were Drew Compton, Jake DeLeo, Tres Gonzalez, and Austin Wilhite. Overall, seven different Jackets recorded hits in the victory.
The Jackets wouldn’t take their first lead in the game until the bottom of the seventh inning. After totaling just one run against Pittsburgh starter Matt Gilbertson over his first six innings of work, the Jackets finally struck again in the seventh when Kevin Parada doubled home Justyn Henry-Malloy before Drew Compton knocked in Parada allowing the Jackets to take a 3-2 lead. Gonzalez and Wilhite would add a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning, extending that lead to 5-2.
Out of the bullpen, Jackson Finley pitched a scoreless eighth inning in relief while Zach Maxwell closed out the game in the ninth, striking out three while allowing one run on two hits and a walk for the 5-3 victory.
With the victory, the Jackets improve their record to 9-4 on the season and 6-2 in conference play. The Jackets are also now 6-4 at home this season.
The rubber match of the weekend series is set for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch on Sunday afternoon. A win in the deciding game of the series would extend the Jackets’ incredible ACC series win streak at home to 13 straight series.