As they meet for the second time in their three-game season series, Georgia Tech and Georgia’s baseball teams aren’t statistically dissimilar.
Tech has a .287 batting average, .415 slugging percentage and an ERA of 4.28. Georgia, by comparison, is at .276, .406 and 4.24. However, the Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs are noticeably different in their records. Tech is 24-12 and tied for second in the ACC Coastal Division at 9-9, having taken two of three from Virginia (then No. 16 in the USA Today coaches poll) this past weekend.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are 20-17 and 6-9 in the SEC, tied for fourth in the SEC East. The teams play Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Tech’s Russ Chandler Stadium.
Thus far, the Jackets have seized opportunity in critical moments, a quality that may produce their best regular season since at least 2011. Tech has come from behind to win in 11 of its 24 wins thus far. The Jackets have outscored the opposition 57-20 from the eighth inning on. They’re 8-2 in one-run games.
Tech won its most recent one-run decision on Sunday, hanging on to beat Virginia 4-3. Closer Zac Ryan gave up a two-run home run in the eighth and permitted the tying run to reach second base with one out in the ninth, but finished the game off with a groundout and a strikeout.
“I think when we’ve had a lead, other than one time, Zac Ryan has been very good at the end of games,” Tech coach Danny Hall said. “And I think that we have enough offense up and down our lineup that we’re capable, when we do get behind, of scoring runs late in games. Sometimes you’ve got to be a little lucky, too. Probably a combination of all three things.”
Georgia has not enjoyed such success. The Bulldogs’ weekend at Alabama was demonstration of it. They lost 7-6 to the Crimson Tide in 11 innings on Friday, won 8-1 on Saturday and then lost 5-2 on Sunday. Georgia fell behind 5-1 after three innings and squandered an opportunity to rally in the seventh. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with none out but scored just one run, surrendering on three strikeouts.
Georgia is 5-4 in one-run games.
The first meeting between the two teams, March 31 in Athens, was a 13-6 runaway win for Tech behind third baseman Matt Gonzalez’ 3-for-4 night with a home run and four RBI. Should Tech win Tuesday, the Jackets will have won the season series for the fifth time in the past six years.
“I think they’re competing with everybody,” Hall said. “And I know for sure after winning the game in Athens, they’ll be as focused as they can possibly be on this one.”
Ben Parr (5-1, 3.92 ERA) will start for the Jackets. Bo Tucker (1-1, 2.55) will make his first career start.
It would also be the first time Tech defeated Georgia in football, men’s basketball and baseball in the same academic year since 1998-99.
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