Georgia Tech was not able to build on its series win over Florida State, falling to Georgia State 9-5 on Tuesday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets gave up 17 hits – seven for extra bases – tying for the most allowed this season to a nonconference opponent.
Georgia State (23-10) earned a season split with Tech (21-13). The Jackets dinged the Panthers for 12 hits and six walks but were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, while Georgia State was 5-for-12.
“We had opportunities to kind of cave ‘em and had the right guys at the plate and just couldn’t get the hit,” Tech coach Danny Hall said to media after the game. “They’re a good team. We knew they were a good team. I said it Sunday: Every team in the state is good, and you’ve got to be ready to play, and they played better than we did (Tuesday).”
Ahead 3-1, Georgia State struck for five runs in the top of the fourth, when reliever Cole McNamee gave up hits to five of the first six batters he faced, the biggest a three-run home run to Griffin Cheney, his 12th of the season. Cheney had homered in the previous inning, part of a 3-for-6 game.
“Fourth inning, just a bad inning,” Hall said. “I thought from that point on, Sammy Crawford, Dawson Brown, (Aeden) Finateri threw the ball really well, and then we couldn’t get big hits.”
Tech shortstop Chandler Simpson was 2-for-4, which nudged his batting average from .4938 to .4941 and extended his hitting streak to eight games. Designated hitter Tim Borden and center fielder Colin Hall both homered. Borden has a hit in 19 of the past 20 games.
The Panthers won their eighth in a row in a stunning turnaround season. Not counting the canceled season of 2020, Georgia State had posted five consecutive losing seasons before this year, including 18-37 in 2021 when the Panthers played 20 games against power-conference opponents. Coach Brad Stromdahl, in his third season, has the Panthers in first place in the Sun Belt Conference at 10-2.
Tech will next go to North Carolina for a three-game series starting Friday.
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