Feb. 26, 2012
ATLANTA – No. 10 Georgia Tech broke out the bats in support of sophomore starter Dusty Isaacs on Sunday, handing Ohio State a 13-4 setback in the rubber-match of a three-game series at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets (6-2) used a six-run fifth inning to distance themselves from the Buckeyes (3-3), who scored first in all three games. Isaacs worked 5.2 innings with three hits, three runs and three strikeouts to pick up his second win is as many starts (2-0).
“I was disappointed in the way we played yesterday, but today was much better,” said head coach Danny Hall, who is seven shy of his 1,000th career win. “Isaacs gave up a lead-off triple, but really settled in and pitched well and pitched out of some jams today.”
Jake Davies finished 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, set a new career high with four RBI and matched his career best of three runs. Sam Dove was 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Daniel Palka doubled twice and drove in two runs. Kyle Wren reached base all five times thanks to two singles and three walks.
“Having great hitters around you always gives you better pitches to hit,” said Dove, after finishing the weekend series 7-for-10. “Those guys being there really gave me some good pitches.”
Davies’ homer was the first of five two-out hits for Tech, who drove in six runs with two outs on Sunday.
After OSU jumped ahead 1-0 in the first inning, Tech answered in the bottom half as Wren and Brandon Thomas drew back-to-back lead-off walks and Davies launched his first home run of the season with a missile over the right-field wall for a 3-1 lead.
Freshman catcher Connor Lynch, who earned his first start, delivered his first college hit with a three-run double off the left-field wall, increasing Tech’s lead to 6-1 in the third. Dove stroked an RBI single in the fourth, and the Yellow Jackets sent 12 batters to the plate in their six-run fifth inning.
“Davies and Lynch each had huge two-out hits,” said Hall. “Those two-out hits sometimes separate who wins and losses, and today we were on the winning end of that.”
Palka ripped a two-RBI double to the left-field gap to trigger the fifth-inning onslaught, and Davies followed two batters later with a run-scoring double to the opposite alley. Davies was a sizzling 5-for-9 on the weekend with a pair of doubles, a homer and six RBI.
Two-out hitting was the difference Sunday with Tech pounding out five hits and collecting six RBI with two outs.
Ohio State starter Greg Greve was touched up for seven runs, eight hits and five walks in 3.2 innings and was hung the loss (0-1). The Buckeyes used six different pitchers in the game, who issued 14 walks against eight strikeouts. Tech left a season-high 13 runners on base.
Georgia Tech continues its season-long eight-game home stand Wednesday afternoon versus Kennesaw State. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium.
