TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Despite 13 hits, Georgia Tech fell 8-3 to No. 10 Florida State on Thursday night at Dick Howser Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets (30-20, 14-14 ACC) went 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position, while the 10th-ranked Seminoles (38-13, 16-11 ACC) were just 2-for-10, but three solo home runs surrendered proved the be the difference maker.
Bobby Zmarzlak scored the first two runs on a single to left field in the fourth and would not score again until the seventh, when Drew Burress lasered a ball to right field and Carson Kerce beat the throw home.
Overall, Tech was led by Burress, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI. John Giesler also had three hits on the night, while Zmarzlak finished with two hits.
Despite the three solo homers, the Jackets held FSU to just eight hits overall, well below their season average of 10.9 per game. RHP Aeden Finateri (5-3) received the tough-luck loss, allowing five runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Tech then looked to RHP Ben King, RHP Brett Thomas for a clean two innings.
The Jackets faced just a two-run deficit until RHP Dawson Brown and LHP Brett Barfield ran into trouble in the eighth, allowing three runs to put the game out of reach. RHP Michal Kovala came in and got the final out of the eighth.
Florida State was led by Cam Smith, who went 3-for-4 with a home run. LHP Jamie Arnold (9-3) got the win with 6.1 innings of work and just three runs allowed on 11 hits with six strikeouts.
Georgia Tech will now conclude the regular season on Friday, May 17 in a doubleheader due to weather in the Saturday forecast. First pitch Friday is set for 2 p.m. with the finale set to start approx. 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
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