Yellow Jackets Clip Blue Devils 5-2 in Series Opener

Friday, March 13

Durham, N.C. (Jack Coombs Field)

3:00 PM

Duke University

Georgia Tech

Blue Devils Collect 7-4 Win Over Spiders

Yellow Jackets Clip Blue Devils 5-2 in Series Opener

3/13/2015 8:01:00 PM | Baseball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke took an early lead but could not hold off Georgia Tech down the stretch, dropping a 5-2 decision to the Yellow Jackets in ACC action Friday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field.

Duke (13-4, 1-3 ACC) scored two runs in the bottom of the third for the early advantage. The Blue Devils were unable to capitalize on their chances and Georgia Tech (13-4, 3-1) scored five runs over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to capture the victory.

Both the Blue Devils and the Yellow Jackets totaled 11 hits. Duke had at least one runner on base in every inning, but left 10 runners on base.

“They played better than we did and ultimately deserved to win the ballgame,” said head coach Chris Pollard. “I thought we competed well in the third inning and the ninth inning. We had that stretch in between where we didn't string together good at bats. We gave them some unearned runs and that wound up being a big difference. Georgia Tech did a good job of making adjustments throughout the course of the game.”

Senior Andy Perez went 3-for-5 with two singles, a double, an RBI and a run scored. Perez also stole second in the first, extending his ACC-leading total to 16 and giving him 60 stolen bases for his career. He is the fifth Blue Devil in program history to amass 60 or more stolen bases in a career.

Junior Michael Matuella pitched four scoreless innings in the no decision. The right-hander allowed just three hits without walking a batter and struck out four. Junior Nick Hendrix (1-1) suffered the loss despite not allowing an earned run.

Georgia Tech starter Jonathan King threw well in the no decision, tossing 5.2 innings. He scattered nine hits and permitted the two, third-inning runs, exiting the game with the score knotted at two-all.

Reliever Matthew Gorst (1-2) earned his first win of the season by pitching 2.1 shutout innings. Gorst allowed just one hit, a Jalen Phillips single in the seventh, walked two batters and recorded four strikeouts. Zac Ryan came on in the ninth to preserve the margin and pick up his third save of the year.

Duke scored two runs on four hits in the third to claim the initial lead. Junior Kenny Koplove drilled a double down the left field line, the first of three-straight hits to start the Blue Devil third. Perez sent a single up the middle for an RBI base hit before Phillips added a single of his own. Freshman Evan Dougherty knocked a sacrifice fly to left, which allowed Perez to score from third.

The Blue Devils moved the leadoff hitter into scoring position with less than two outs in both the fifth and sixth innings, but Georgia Tech's defense held on both occasions.

The Yellow Jackets manufactured a pair of runs in the sixth to deadlock the score. Connor Justus and Daniel Spingola both singled to start the frame. After a wild pitch advanced the runners, Thomas Smith contributed an RBI groundout to put Georgia Tech on the board. A second wild pitch then allowed Spingola to cross home plate.

Two Duke errors allowed Georgia Tech to add two runs in the seventh. Up 4-1, the Yellow Jackets notched a fifth run in the eighth on Matt Gonzalez's RBI double.

Duke and Georgia Tech reconvene for game two of the series Saturday, Mar. 14. Originally scheduled for a 1 p.m., start, the game has been pushed back to 3 p.m., due to the threat of rain. Duke's Andrew Istler is set to take the mound opposite of Georgia Tech's Cole Pitts.

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