Georgia Tech Downs No. 5 Clemson 5-1 on Saturday

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s trio of Jay Shadday, Robert Winborne and Zac Ryan held the No. 5 Clemson Tigers to just one run on five hits over the nine inning contest to lead the Jackets to a 5-1 ACC win on Saturday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.

Georgia Tech improved to 15-10 on the season and 4-7 in ACC play with the victory, while Clemson dropped to 23-5 overall and 9-2 in league play with the loss.

Seven of Tech’s eight total hits for the game were extra base hits, as Austin Wilhite went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored, while Ryan Peurifoy was 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and a run scored. The middle of the order in Kel Johnson (1-for-4, HR) and Joey Bart (1-for-3, double, HBP, RBI) provided the other two RBIs in the win.

Making only his third career start for the Jackets on Saturday, Shadday (2-1) earned the win over the Tigers by holding Clemson to just one run on five hits, four walks and five strikeouts in a career-high 6.0 innings of work.

Tech’s bullpen of Winborne (1.2 IP, BB, K) and Ryan (1.1 IP, 2 BB, K) did not allow a hit over the final three innings of play.

Clemson’s Chris Williams led the Tigers at the plate going 2-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored, while Drew Wharton had the lone RBI for the visitors with an RBI single in the sixth.
With both pitchers cruising through the first two innings of play, the Yellow Jackets scored first in the bottom half of the third on a Wilhite lead-off double to right field, a sac bunt by senior Keenan Innis and an RBI ground out to the shortstop by Peurifoy to take a 1-0 lead.

Tech added a run in the fourth on a solo home run from Johnson and three more in the fifth on a two-run blast by Peurifoy and an RBI double by Bart to push its lead out to 5-0 through five innings.

The Tigers spoiled the shutout in the top of the sixth on a Wharton RBI single, before Shadday closed out the inning with a line out to Wade Bailey at second and a strikeout to keep the score at 5-1.

Winborne and Ryan shut the door on the Tigers over the final three innings, allowing one runner in the seventh on a walk, another in the eighth on a hit batter and two in the ninth on two walks, yet stranding them all on base.

Clemson stranded 12 on base for the game, as the Jackets’ pitching came up big on Saturday.

The Jackets (15-10, 4-7 ACC) and Tigers (23-5, 9-2 ACC) will play the rubber match tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. ET.

Tech Tidbits

* Georgia Tech improved to 12-0 on the season when holding its foes to five runs or less for the contest.
* The Yellow Jackets are now 8-1 on the year when not committing a single error for the game.
* GT moves to 11-3 on the season overall when out-hitting its opponent for the game.
* Tech improves to 11-3 on the year when scoring first in the game.
* With the win today, the Jackets improve to 6-1 on the year in Saturday games.
* Tech starts the month of April off at 1-0.
* Jay Shadday threw a career-high 102 pitches over a new career-long 6.0 innings of work.
* Trevor Craport has now hit safely in six straight games with a double in the third.
* Austin Wilhite pushed his hitting streak to five straight games with a double in the third.
* Austin Wilhite registered two doubles in the same game for the second time this season (Mar. 25 at Wake Forest and today, Apr. 1 vs. No. Clemson).
* Wade Bailey extended his hitting streak to three straight games with a single in the third.
* Kel Johnson extended his current hitting streak to five straight games with a solo home run in the fourth.
* Kel Johnson hit his ninth home run of the year with a solo shot.
* Ryan Peurifoy blasted his fourth home run of the season in the fifth inning.
* Joey Bart recorded his team-high 30th RBI with an RBI double in the fifth.