Georgia Tech's bats exploded, smashing four home runs and racking up 16 hits to overwhelm Florida State in a lopsided sweep.
In a long college baseball season, it is not how you start but how you finish, and the Florida State Seminoles are trending in the wrong direction in that regard. On Saturday, Atlanta was the site of an assault from the air as the Seminoles suffered death by the long ball, much to the delight of Georgia Tech fans in attendance.
No. 3 Georgia Tech (30-5, 15-3 ACC) belted four home runs and pounded out 16 hits and swept No. 5 Florida State (24-11, 9-6) in a 17-3 victory. It was the Seminoles fourth consecutive loss.
The perpetrators of this assault for Georgia Tech were as follows:
· CF Drew Burress: 4-for-4, HR, 3 RBI
· C Vahn Lackey: 1-for-3, HR, 1 RBI
· SS Carson Kerce: 3-for-4, HR, 5 RBI
· LF Caleb Daniel: 1-for-4, HR, RBI
· 2B Jarren Advincula: 3-for-5, Double, 2 RBI
In the sweep, Georgia Tech manufactured double-digit hits in all three victories over the Seminoles, posting a whopping 38 hits in the series and outscoring Florida State 29-9. It has been reported by members of the media that coach Link Jarrett has declined to speak to media after each of the last two games.
The Yellow Jackets exploded for five runs in the fifth inning and 10 runs in the sixth. Jarrett emptied his bullpen (seven pitchers in all) in a futile attempt to quell the offensive onslaught, as Georgia Tech batted .500 (8-for-16) with runners in scoring position.
By contrast, the Seminoles were offensive in the worst way possible, stinking up Russ Chandler Stadium to the tune of just three runs on six hits, two errors, and seven runners left stranded. Florida State hitters went 1-for-10 with runners on base, and 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
The lone bright spots for the Seminoles were center fielder Brayden Dowd, who went 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs, and Seminoles shortstop Carter McCulley, who added a home run of his own. Reliever Cole Stokes (0-1) took the loss for Florida State.
Florida State pitching, once seen as the strength of this team, has faltered miserably over the last four games. Their failure to keep opponents off the base paths at key moments in games, coupled with the team’s inability to get timely hits of their own and score runs has been the catalyst for this losing streak.
In addition, with the loss of first baseman Myles Bailey for the season due to injury, Florida State has no “consistent” power-hitting threat. So, the task of producing hits and plating runs becomes much more important.
The Seminoles now find themselves in an unenviable position: having to sprint toward the finish line in a race that may be already lost.
Only five ACC series remain on the Seminoles schedule: home against Notre Dame, at Stanford, home against Pitt, at Clemson, and they finish the regular season at home against their arch-rival, the Miami Hurricanes.
The Seminoles will now shift their focus to Tuesday night and their upcoming mid-week game at home against Stetson.
How to Watch
Date: Tuesday, April 14
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Location: Dick Howser Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
Streaming: ACC Extra
Radio: 100.7 FM WFLA
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