ATLANTA — Georgia Tech’s trio of Jay Shadday, Robert Winborne and Zac Ryan held the No. 5 Clemson Tigers to just one run on five hits over the nine inning contest to lead the Jackets to a 5-1 ACC win on Saturday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Georgia Tech improved to 15-10 on the season and 4-7 in ACC play with the victory, while Clemson dropped to 23-5 overall and 9-2 in league play with the loss.
Seven of Tech’s eight total hits for the game were extra base hits, as Austin Wilhite went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored, while Ryan Peurifoy was 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and a run scored. The middle of the order in Kel Johnson (1-for-4, HR) and Joey Bart (1-for-3, double, HBP, RBI) provided the other two RBIs in the win.
Making only his third career start for the Jackets on Saturday, Shadday (2-1) earned the win over the Tigers by holding Clemson to just one run on five hits, four walks and five strikeouts in a career-high 6.0 innings of work.
Tech’s bullpen of Winborne (1.2 IP, BB, K) and Ryan (1.1 IP, 2 BB, K) did not allow a hit over the final three innings of play.
Clemson’s Chris Williams led the Tigers at the plate going 2-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored, while Drew Wharton had the lone RBI for the visitors with an RBI single in the sixth.
With both pitchers cruising through the first two innings of play, the Yellow Jackets scored first in the bottom half of the third on a Wilhite lead-off double to right field, a sac bunt by senior Keenan Innis and an RBI ground out to the shortstop by Peurifoy to take a 1-0 lead.
Tech added a run in the fourth on a solo home run from Johnson and three more in the fifth on a two-run blast by Peurifoy and an RBI double by Bart to push its lead out to 5-0 through five innings.
The Tigers spoiled the shutout in the top of the sixth on a Wharton RBI single, before Shadday closed out the inning with a line out to Wade Bailey at second and a strikeout to keep the score at 5-1.
Winborne and Ryan shut the door on the Tigers over the final three innings, allowing one runner in the seventh on a walk, another in the eighth on a hit batter and two in the ninth on two walks, yet stranding them all on base.
Clemson stranded 12 on base for the game, as the Jackets’ pitching came up big on Saturday.
The Jackets (15-10, 4-7 ACC) and Tigers (23-5, 9-2 ACC) will play the rubber match tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. ET.
