By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Eagle baseball stumbles against GA Tech, fall 8-6
GSU baseball
After Georgia Southern jumped out to a 5-0 first inning lead, Georgia Tech's Jack Rubenstein, left, beats out the tag of Eagle catcher JP Tighe to close the lead in the second inning at J.I. Clements Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 21. The Eagles eventually succumbed 8-6. East Tennessee is next up at J.I. Clements Stadium on Friday at 4 p.m. - photo by SCOTT BRYANT/staff

The Georgia Southern baseball team jumped out to an early 5-0 lead Tuesday night against the visiting Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. After that, the Eagles mustered only one run the rest of the way as the Georgia Tech bullpen combined to scatter eight hits and had 13 strikeouts. The Yellow Jackets came back on the strength of two 2-run homers and went on to beat the Eagles 8-6. The loss drops Georgia Southern to 2-2 on the season while Tech improves to 4-0.

 

 

The game started with some pretty successful NFL players throwing out the first pitches. Former Eagle kickers Younghoe Koo of the Atlanta Falcons, and Tyler Bass of the Buffalo Bills tossed out the ceremonial first pitches. Neither of the former Eagle greats were able to get the ball over the plate, but shortly thereafter Georgia Southern starter Jalen Brown showed them how to do it as a pair of strikeouts helped hold the Tech bats in check.

 

Georgia Tech starter Luke Schmolke looked more like Koo and Bass as he struggled to find the strike zone, walking in a run before surrendering a 2-run double to Zane Faulk for a 3-0 Eagle lead. The Eagles added another run on a double play with the bases loaded and then Blake Evans hit an RBI single for a 5-0 lead.

 

Evans was stranded on base and that started a string of six straight innings in which the Eagles left runners on base. Georgia Southern left 13 runners on base in the game with eight of them being in scoring position.

 

The Yellow Jackets quickly came back in the second on an RBI single from Jalen Jackson, and a 3-run homer off the bat of catcher Tyler Minick to trim the Eagle lead to 5-4.

 

Georgia Southern stretched the lead back to two on an RBI double down the leftfield line by Sam Blancato for a 6-4 lead, but the Jackets responded with a sacrifice fly from Brant Baughcum to make it 6-5.

 

The big blow for the Jackets came in the top of the fifth as Eagle sophomore lefthander Mitchell Gross missed on a fastball to Nicholas Romano who drove it deep into the pine trees in left field for a 3-run homer and an 8-6 Tech lead.

 

The Eagles loaded the bases in the sixth but Blake Evans line drive to center was hauled in by Jake DeLeo for the third out. In the ninth the Eagles had the tying run at first and Jessie Sherrill struck out swinging for the last out of the game.

 

The Eagles will next host former Southern Conference foe East Tennessee State. The three-game series will begin on Friday with an early start time of 4 p.m. The Saturday contest will begin at 2 p.m., and the Sunday game will start at 1 p.m.