The No. 9 Virginia baseball team lost 14-7 Thursday night to Georgia Tech in the opener of a three-game series at Russ Chandler Stadium. Georgia Tech used five-run innings in the sixth and eighth inning to come back from a 5-4 deficit.
Virginia (39-13, 16-12 ACC) committed three errors, which led to six unearned runs, and also issued a season-high 10 walks.
Jake McCarthy (So., Scranton, Pa.) recorded his first career two-home run game, going 2-for-5 with three RBI. Adam Haseley (Jr., Windermere, Fla.) also homered and recorded his third career four-hit game, going 4-for-5. Ernie Clement (Jr., Rochester, N.Y.) and Robbie Coman (Gr., Lake Worth, Fla.) also picked up three hits as UVA finished with a dozen hits.
UVA starting pitcher Daniel Lynch (So., Henrico, Va.) took the loss and fell to 6-4 after allowing seven runs (three earned) over 5 2/3 innings. He allowed nine hits and three walks while striking out three. Georgia Tech starter Xzavion Curry (6-4) earned the win after working six innings and giving up five runs and eight hits with three strikeouts.
McCarthy homered to right in the top of the first, but the Yellow Jackets (27-24, 11-17) responded in the bottom of the inning when Kyle McCann hit an RBI grounder. Georgia Tech scored twice in the second on a run-scoring grounder from Nick Wilhite and an RBI double from Wade Bailey.
UVA scored in the fourth on a sac fly from Caleb Knight (Jr., Checotah, Okla.), but Georgia Tech took advantage of two Cavalier errors in the bottom of the inning, getting the run back on a double-play ball from Wilhite with the bases loaded.
Virginia scored three runs off back-to-back home runs from McCarthy and Haseley in the fifth inning as McCarthy launched a two-run blast off the batter’s eye in center field, and Haseley followed with a solo shot high off the batter’s eye.
Another Virginia error opened the door for five runs in the sixth inning as Georgia Tech sent 10 batters to the plate. Each of the runs was unearned and scored with two outs as the final seven batters of the inning reached base. UVA got out of the inning when Cameron Simmons (Jr., Royersford, Pa.) threw out Coleman Poje at the plate following a Brandt Stallings single.
UVA got a run back in the seventh on a Coman sac fly, but Georgia Tech added some breathing room with five runs off five walks and two singles in the eighth inning. Haseley doubled home Clement for UVA’s final run in the ninth.
Game 2 of the series is slated for 6 p.m. Friday, and the series concludes at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
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