Georgia Tech salvages finale vs. North Carolina ahead of UGA matchup

The No. 3 Yellow Jackets will meet the No. 5 Bulldogs at Truist Park in the first top five Spring Classic between the teams.

Georgia Tech pitcher Jackson Blakely is 5-1 this season, though he didn't get a decision in Sunday's 5-2 win over North Carolina. Blakely allowed four hits, three walks and two runs while striking out three in 2⅔ innings against the Tar Heels. (Courtesy of Georgia Tech)

By AJC Sports

1 hour ago

Georgia Tech didn’t let the weekend get away.

The No. 2 Yellow Jackets were flying high with a 13-game win streak heading into the weekend showdown against No. 3 North Carolina. The Tar Heels took the first two games, but Tech salvaged the finale 5-2 on Sunday.

For Tech (32-7 overall, 16-5 ACC), the losses resulted in a small step back, flipping spots in the rankings with North Carolina behind No. 1 UCLA.

The bigger focus is another top five matchup, as the Yellow Jackets take on No. 5 Georgia (32-9, 13-5 SEC) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Truist Park in the annual Spring Classic, which benefits Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and has raised more than $4.5 million.

It’s the first time in the Spring Classic, which began in 2003, that both teams are ranked in the top five.

Tech is off to its best start through 39 games since 2010 and its best conference start since 2011, a credit to first-year coach James Ramsey. The Yellow Jackets have 10 wins over opponents ranked in the top 15, the most this century. The Georgia game is the last on the regular-season schedule against a team that’s currently ranked.

Tech was coming off a sweep of then-No. 5 Florida State on April 9-11 and a 13-9 win over Georgia Southern on April 14 before the UNC series. The 5-2 loss to North Carolina on Friday ended the win streak, and the Tar Heels took Saturday’s matchup 14-4 in eight innings before Tech salvaged the finale.

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