GREENSBORO, N.C. — Sixth-ranked Georgia Tech (45-12) combined for 11 in the sixth and seventh innings, and kept its tournament hopes alive with a 17-5 win Saturday over N.C. State in seven innings Saturday at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, N.C.
The Jackets will face Clemson approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the Virginia-Miami game.
The 17 runs were the most scored by a team in the ACC Championships since 2005, when then-No. 1 seed Georgia Tech defeated Florida State by an 18-2 score in Jacksonville, Fla.
Georgia Tech, seeded No. 3 in the tournament, will need a victory over the second-seeded Tigers, and a No. 7 N.C. State (1-1) win over No. 6 Virginia Tech (2-0) later this evening in order to advance to the tournament championship, which is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Yellow Jackets would have the advantage due to seeding if set in a three-way tie.
Senior Tony Plagman led the Yellow Jackets at the plate on the day, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI.
Sophomore Matt Skole also drove in three runs for Georgia Tech.
Junior Brandon Cumpton won his third straight game on the mound, improving to 9-2 overall on the season after allowing five runs – four earned—on six hits over six innings. Cumpton struck out four batters, and issued just two walks.
Originally started on Friday night, heavy rain and lightning suspended play for 13 hours and 46 minutes before resuming Saturday with Tech up 2-0 in the first inning.
The Wolfpack grabbed a run back on a RBI groundout to shortstop by Andrew Ciencin that scored Kyle Wilson from third in the inning.
The Yellow Jackets used a big third inning to jump out to a 6-1 lead on NC State, scoring four runs on just one hit. Skole sent a grounder to first base that rolled under the glove of NC State’s Harold Riggins for an error to bring in two, Cole Leonida hit a sacrifice fly to right field for another, and Buford High graduate Chase Burnette’s singled to right field to score Skole from third to close the scoring in the frame.
N.C. State countered with four runs of their own in the fourth, three on back-to-back home runs by Harold Riggins and Pratt Maynard, and one on a throwing error Burnette that scored Matt Bergquist from third to cut it to 6-5.
Georgia Tech used another four run inning, this time in the sixth, to pad a five run lead at 10-5. Jacob Esch, Jeff Rowland and Skole each had RBI singles to the outfield, while Esch scampered home on a throwing error by N.C. State’s Bergquist for the other tally.
The Yellow Jackets largest inning of the game came as a seven-run output in the seventh, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Plagman to right field, and a sacrifice fly to left by Leonida that extended the lead to 10, putting into effect the tournament’s 10-run rule.
N.C. State’s Jake Buchanan pitched the lone inning of the game Friday, and did not return Saturday after allowing two runs on two hits in the inning. Buchanan fell to 7-4 after recording the loss.