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Georgia Tech Baseball: NC State Series Recap

Georgia Tech Baseball was swept by NC State this weekend

Jackson Caudell

Georgia Tech Athletics

Georgia Tech lost their first ACC series of the year last weekend when they faced off against Wake Forest, but Tech was hoping to bounce back against NC State this weekend. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. 

The Yellow Jackets now sit at 16-9 after being swept by the Wolfpack this weekend and are reeling a little bit. Some of the same issues that plagued Georgia Tech during the series against Wake Forest came up again this weekend. 

Fielding errors have become the biggest obstacle to Georgia Tech's success. In the first two games against NC State this weekend, Georgia Tech had three errors in both games. Whether it was a routine popup or just a regular throwout on a double play, there was sloppy play all around. 

Game One

It looked like Georgia Tech had bounced back and was going to start winning again in the first game against NC State on Friday, but they blew a five-run lead and lost. The fourth inning of this game was where everything got turned on its head. 

Entering the fourth inning, both the Yellow Jackets and Wolfpack were tied at 1-1, but then the bats got hot for Tech and it looked like they had blown the game open. Colin Hall took home on a wild pitch and then Tres Gonzales hit and RBI to make the game 3-1. National player of the week Andrew Jenkins then hit a three run homer to make the game 6-1 and everything was going Tech's way. 

As hot as the Yellow Jackets were in the top of the fourth, the Wolfpack were that much better. NC State evened the score up thanks to some errors by Georgia Tech. Then one inning later, took an 8-6 lead. The relief pitching for NC State pitched five scoreless innings the rest of the way and Georgia Tech lost game one, a game that was very winnable. 

Game Two

Looking to bounce back from the disappointment of the night before, Georgia Tech got to take the field Saturday night with true freshman pitcher Cody Carwile on the mound. Carwile pitched a solid game for it being his first start against a good NC State lineup, but three errors by the defense turned into four unearned runs and the Yellow Jackets were playing catchup for most of the game. 

Colin Hall had a very good night at the plate with three RBIs and Gonzales, Jenkins and Stephen Reid all had multi hit nights as well. The biggest play of the game came when Tech made a throwing error on a double play ball and then the Wolfpack proceeded to score four runs afterwards. 

The relief pitching for the Wolfpack was once again good late in the game, giving up only one run in the final four innings. Tech could not catch NC State and lost 6-5 and it felt like another game had slipped away that the Yellow Jackets could have won. 

Game Three

The third game of the series was not as close as the first two games, as the Yellow Jackets offense could not get on track. Georgia Tech opened the scoring up with solo home run in the third inning by Tim Borden, but that would be all of the scoring that Tech would be doing on Sundy afternoon. 

Marquis Grissom Jr got the start for the Yellow Jackets and pitched a solid game. Grissom Jr pitched five innings and only gave up three hits and no runs, but did give up four walks. The errors were not as bad as they were the previous two nights, but the relief pitching could not hold up after Grissom left. 

NC State scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and then four in the eighth to put the game out of reach and won 6-1. 

Summary

After the disappointment of the Wake Forest series last weekend and losing a close game to Kennesaw State Wednesday, Tech needed something to feel good about. There were certain things that the team did well during all three games, but the sloppy play and lack of execution cost the team dearly. 

The team is now 16-9 and could be at risk of falling out of some of the key rankings this week after going 1-4. The ACC is plenty tough enough as a conference this season and there are going to be no easy paths forward if Tech continues to play like they have in the past week. 

The Yellow Jackets will have Monday off before trying to regroup against Charleston Southern on Tuesday. 

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Georgia Tech loses final game to NC State and is swept in weekend series

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Published
Jackson Caudell
JACKSON CAUDELL

Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell

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