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Georgia baseball pushes past Tech to take season sweep

By UGA Sports Communications
Posted 10:04PM on Tuesday 8th May 2018 ( 5 years ago )

ATLANTA — In the 16th annual Farmview Spring Classic, a benefit for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the 15th-ranked Georgia baseball team defeated Georgia Tech 3-1 to sweep the season series Tuesday evening in front of a crowd of 17,741 at SunTrust Park.

Georgia (34-14) extended its win streak against Tech to six games – the longest streak since the Bulldogs won six straight in the series from 1985-87. Georgia has won nine of the last 10 meetings between the two schools. In the Spring Classic, which began at Turner Field, Georgia holds the advantage at 11-5.

A 3-run fourth inning featuring an Aaron Schunk home run and a two-run double by Mason Meadows provided enough support for Georgia freshman starter C.J. Smith (1-0) to secure his first-career win. In the lefthander’s third-career start, Smith pitched five innings of one-run ball, while striking out two batters and yielding two hits. The bullpen combination of Tony Locey, Ryan Webb, and Zac Kristofak kept Smith’s win intact, tossing three scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.

Georgia Tech’s Tristin English (2-2) surrendered three runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings to endure the loss. The Yellow Jackets dropped to 27-22 on the season.

The first three innings of the game consisted of scoreless, one-hit frames from each team’s starter, until the Bulldogs put across the first runs of the game in the fourth.

On the first pitch of the inning, Schunk went opposite field for a solo home run over the left-center field fence. Later in the inning, Meadows doubled in Cam Shepherd and Michael Curry who both reached on singles, giving Georgia the 3-0 lead.

The Yellow Jackets answered with one run in the next inning. A one-out double by Georgia Tech’s Austin Wilhite put two runners into scoring position in the top of the fifth. Smith limited the damage by yielding one run on a groundout, and then ended the threat with another groundout.

Locey replaced Smith to start the sixth and promptly gave up two singles and a sacrifice bunt, putting two Yellow Jackets into scoring position again. However, Locey got English to strike out looking, and Georgia tapped into the bullpen seeking the third out. Webb entered and walked the first batter faced, but struck out the next, ending the Georgia Tech opportunity.

In the final two innings, Kristofak struck out five of the six batters he faced, clinching the sweep with his fourth save of the season.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/5/668686/georgia-baseball-pushes-past-tech-to-take-season-sweep

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