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Georgia Tech Baseball: Jackets drop third straight in loss to USC Upstate

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

Mar 6, 2021; Dunedin, Florida, USA; A general view of a baseball on the field between innings of the spring training game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2021; Dunedin, Florida, USA; A general view of a baseball on the field between innings of the spring training game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Georgia Tech baseball’s recent slide continued on Tuesday night against USC Upstate. The Yellow Jackets dropped their third straight game and fourth of their last five in a 9-3 loss to the Spartans. A once promising-looking season for the Jackets has quickly been hit with a reality check.

Cort Roedig got the start for the Yellow Jackets and lasted just one inning, allowing three earned runs on four hits. From there, it would turn into a bullpen game for the Jackets as seven different relievers saw time on the mound Tuesday night. In total, the Jackets would surrender 15 hits and five walks in the loss.

Offensively, the Jackets were able to scratch together nine hits and three walks but were unable to get anything going consistently, putting up a single run in the third, sixth, and eighth innings. At the plate, freshman third baseman John Anderson led the way, going 3-for-4 with one RBI He was the only Yellow Jacket to record a multi-hit game on Tuesday night while six other Jackets recorded single hits in the loss as well

The loss for the Jackets drops their overall record on the season to 14-10 including an ugly 7-8 record at home. It’s a far cry from the dominance the program has usually experienced at Russ Chandler Stadium. Back in 2018-19, the Jackets went 26-11 at home en route to a 43-19 overall record.

The Jackets will be back on the field on Friday against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend. The Irish are 13-5 on the season including 4-2 at home.

If the Jackets hope to get back in the right track, their pitching will need to take a major step up. Over their last three games, the Jackets have surrendered 28 runs, an average of 9.33 per game. For the season, the Jackets own an abysmal 5.13 ERA. The only pitchers with ERAs below three are Andy Archer and Brant Hurter, posting 1.86 and 2.82 ERAs respectively. Expected to be a strength entering the season it’s safe to say that the Jackets pitching performances this season have been a disappointment.

The good news for the Jackets is that they will have Brant Hurter and Andy Archer both on the mound this week against Notre Dame in what has become a must-win series for the Yellow Jackets.