Georgia Tech continued its first-inning magic Tuesday night, this time working its white-and-gold sorcery on rival Georgia.
On the strength of three first-inning runs, the Yellow Jackets evened the season series with the Bulldogs with a 4-1 win on a chilly evening at Tech’s Russ Chandler Stadium.
Tech scored 10 of its 21 runs in the first inning against Florida State in taking two of three this past weekend over the team that was ranked No. 1 in three polls. The Jackets have won nine out of their past 10.
Georgia (21-15-1) gave Tech (24-14) ample help to make its early getaway. Daniel Spingola and Matt Gonzalez started the scoring with a single and double for a 1-0 lead, but from there, Georgia pitcher Patrick Boling contributed a wild pitch, a hit batsman and three walks to gift the next two runs.
Tech pitcher Ben Parr and a leak-free defense did the rest. In six shutout innings, Parr permitted one Bulldog to reach second base, Daniel Nichols on a one-out double in the second inning. Parr then struck out Jess Posey and Skyler Weber to end the threat.
In the fourth, Zack Bowers drove a 3-2 pitch into the right-center gap, but Spingola cut it off and then threw him out at second when Bowers slid into second and couldn’t keep contact with the base.
Parr, who struck out seven, walked two and gave up four hits, is now 4-1 and has a 1.30 ERA since becoming a midweek starter four weeks ago. Tanner Shelton, Ben Schniederjans and Dusty Isaacs followed Parr in continuing to suppress the Bulldogs.
Tech gained revenge for a 1-0 walk-off loss to Georgia in Athens on March 4. The teams will decide the series May 13 in their annual game at Turner Field. Tech’s two runs allowed in the two Georgia games is the fewest allowed in back-to-back games against the Bulldogs since 2002.
Tuesday night’s game began under clear skies accompanied by unseasonably cold weather. Temperature at first pitch was 45 degrees with gusting winds. When the schools’ football teams met in November, game-time temperature was a comparatively balmy 55 degrees.
Winter coats and blankets were the rule for the evening, and only a small fraction of the 1,565 who attended the game remained by game’s end.
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