GT vs. Wake Baseball 2014: Jackets Avoid Sweep

It was a banner day for RS Jr Matt Grimes, who gave up only two hits and one run through five innings Sunday in his first ACC start since early 2012.  The Jackets (8-7) had a much-needed good day on the basepaths, only leaving six on base due in part to three Wake (11-5) errors that allowed two Jackets to score in the fifth.  That's been the real problem over the past few games (not necessarily Tech getting hits or being smart on the basepaths), so it was good to see Coach Hall's crew bring in the men they put on the plate.  This despite the fact that Jackets had only an average day at the plate (.258), and there was certainly hope for this ACC season yet.

SS/3B Elliot Barzilli had a particularly good day at the plate, going 2-4 with two doubles and an RBI.  It's encouraging to see this guy developing so quickly, at the plate and on defense.  He's made several excellent fielding efforts already this season, and though they may not always result in outs (he needs to develop his arm a little bit to get the ball over to first quicker), they have saved several runs.  The rest of the Freshman didn't have such a great day at the plate, going a collective 2-10.  Tech really needed this one, and they went and got it with some smart base running and by jumping on some Wake mistakes.  Tech's next game is against Western Carolina on Tuesday at 6 P.M. and can be heard on 91.1 WREK.