The Youngstown State baseball team had four different players go deep on the day but fell to Georgia Tech in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. The Yellow Jackets pulled away for a 16-6 victory in game one before earning a 17-7 win in game two of the non-conference twin bill.
RJ Sherwood and Derrick Tarpley Jr. each went deep in game one while Carter Kocik delivered a pinch-hit, two-run double. Matt Thompson and Ian Francis each hit their first home run of the season in the nightcap. Thompson had two hits in each game and Francis' home run in game two was grand slam.
Youngstown State falls to 0-13 on the 2024 season while Georgia Tech improves to 10-4.
Game 1 Recap
Georgia Tech used a nine-run fifth inning to pull away for a 16-6 victory over the Youngstown State baseball team in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Sherwood hit a three-run home run while Tarpley Jr. hit a solo blast for the Penguins. Kocik delivered a two-run double while Trey Law and Thompson recorded two hits apiece.
YSU starter Sloan Ulrich suffered the loss after allowing 10 runs on 10 hits over four innings on the mound. Nick Perez surrendered five runs on three hits in one inning of relief. Gavin Wilms allowed one hit with a pair of strikeouts in 1.1 scoreless innings while Zach Stayduhar was responsible for one run on one hit and four walks in one inning of work.
The Penguins jumped in front 1-0 in the top of the first inning when Tarpley Jr. hit a solo home run to right field.
The Yellow Jackets answered quickly with four runs on four hits in the home half of the first to move in front 4-1. Trey Yunger drew a leadoff walk and Drew Burress followed with a double. Matthew Ellis brought home Yunger with a sacrifice fly and Mike Becchetti plated Burress with an RBI groundout. Payton Green singled and scored following a single by Cam Jones, and Jones scored on a two-out RBI double Parker Brosius. Georgia Tech's lead swelled to 6-1 in the bottom of the second on a two-run double from Becchetti.
YSU cut into the deficit in the top of the fourth inning on a three-run blast to left field by Sherwood. Alejandro Covas and Thompson hit back-to-back singles to set up Sherwood's first home run of the season.
The Yellow Jackets pushed their advantage to 15-4 with nine runs on five hits in the bottom of the fifth inning. Green started the rally with a leadoff home run and Burress hit a grand slam later in the frame.
The Penguins got back on the board with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Brett Stanley reached on an error and Law followed with a single to set up a two-out, two-run double to left center by Kocik.
Georgia Tech scored the final run of the eight-inning contest in the bottom of the eighth when Demitri Diamant was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Georgia Tech starter Aeden Finateri earned the win after allowing four runs on five hits with five strikeouts over five innings.
Game 2 Recap
Georgia Tech scored the first 13 runs of the contest on its way to a 17-7 victory over the Youngstown State baseball team in game two of Saturday's doubleheader at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
The Yellow Jackets built a 13-0 lead before the Penguins scored seven straight runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Georgia Tech answered with four runs in the home half of the seventh to enact the seven-inning 10-run rule and secure the doubleheader sweep.
The Penguins pounded out 11 hits as seven different players recorded at least one hit. Tarpley Jr., Thompson, Sherwood and Eli Brown each notched two hits while Joe Suarez delivered an RBI single. Brown finished the game 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
YSU starter Braden Gebhardt took the loss after allowing seven runs, five of them earned, on eight hits with two strikeouts over three innings. Colin Casteel surrendered six runs on four hits and five walks in two innings of relief while Aidan English was responsible for four runs on three hits and five walks in 1.1 innings.
The Yellow Jackets went ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run double by Green. Georgia Tech scored three runs on three hits in the home half of the second to take a 5-0 lead. Brosius hit a leadoff double and scored on an RBI single by Carson Kerce, and Kerce scored when Burress reached on an error. Ellis plated Burress with a two-out RBI single to give the Yellow Jackets a five-run edge.
Georgia Tech extended its lead to 7-0 with two runs on three hits in the bottom of the third. Jones hit a one-out solo home run to right center and Kerce added a two-out RBI single. The Yellow Jackets struck for three two-out runs in the bottom of the fourth as Brosius drew a bases-loaded walk and Tyler Minnick followed with a two-run single. Georgia Tech added three runs in the fifth to push its lead to 13-0.
Covas reached on a fielder's choice and Thompson followed with a two-run homer over the right field wall in the top of the sixth to get the Penguins on the board. YSU put five runs up in the top of the seventh as Brown singled and scored on an RBI single by Suarez before Francis belted a grand slam to left field to shave Georgia Tech's lead to 13-7.
Georgia Tech starter Tate McKee was awarded the victory after allowing one hit and striking out seven batters over four innings in the seven-inning contest.
The Penguins and Yellow Jackets will conclude their four-game series on Sunday. First pitch at Russ Chandler Stadium in scheduled for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and YSNLive.com.
