Canes Baseball: Miami Two-Hits Georgia Tech, Wins 4-2

The Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech with the second-highest batting average in the ACC hadn’t seen the likes of Gage Ziehl. For 4.1 innings Gage for Perfecto taking down the first 13 batters he faced. No walks, and no hits until losing the faceoff with John Geisler. What started as an 0-2 count and looking at #14 throws 4 straight balls and Tech has their first runner of the night. No perfect game and the next batter made it no longer a no-hitter. Tech followed the HR with a single but that would be it until the 9th inning with 2 outs did the Wreck see a runner reach base via a walk. Visions of deja vu with Andrew Walters on the bump two outs and one strike away from victory. Their clean-up hitter Angelo Dispigna with 9 HRs this season looking for #10 to tie the score.

The first game of three turned out to be a pitcher’s duel where hits were scarce and Miami was without the support of the long ball to make a difference. It was small ball all the way with the help of a pair of doubles that made the difference. For Miami, they didn’t get many chances with runners in scoring position but twice of the six times would be all they would need to take them to pay dirt.  

After the first two batters (CJ,Edgardo) grounded out 4-3, Yoyo becomes the first baserunner with a hard hit ball through the middle striking the bag slowing the ball enough to give Yoyo the opportunity to squeeze a single into a double. That set it up for Zach to single to left sufficient enough to score Yoyo for the initial score. Small ball again in the 4th coming again with two outs. Back-to-back singles by Dominic and Ian had runners on 1st and 2nd. Lorenzo Carrier drills the ball into the left-field corner scoring both Pitelli and Farrow. Miami led after 4, 3-0 with Tech looking for their first base runner.

Thirteen straight outs for Tech before the perfect game is gone followed by the no-hitter. From shut-out perfection to being within one run brought silence to the sold-out crowd of 3354 fans not believing their eyes. Rather than collapsing only toughen Gage taking down the next 11 batters faced before calling it a night completing 8 innings having thrown 90 pitches. One of the best pitching performances this season.

Miami answered in the bottom of the 5th with an RBI double down the left field line by Zach scoring Yoyo from 1st having reached base on an E4.

Leading 4-2 into the 9th, Gino elects to go with Andrew to close it out for the win. Quickly getting the first two out via a ground out and strikeout, it came down hopefully to the final batter to bring home game one with a W. Three straight balls and the cardiac kids had everyone’s heart pumping with a ball being call and the tying run comes to the plate. The clean-up batter with already 9 HRs this season and batting .353 coming into tonight’s game comes to the plate. Andrew takes the count to within one strike where he has been before for the final out and before disaster struck. Not so tonight, earning a save and striking out Dispigna swinging.

Offensively, it was not a long-ball performance tonight but getting the key hit at the right time. Back-to-back hits in the first, fourth, and fifth inning would be all Canes would need to get the job done. Only one player with multiple numbers earned him a pair of RBIs. Zach Levenson’s 2-4 (double, 2 RBIs) earns him the hitter of the night. Lorenzo Carrier earned the other 2 RBIs with his double in the third. One other player, Yoyo Morales with an extra base contribution in the first set up the first run of the game with Zach bringing him home on an RBI single. Seven hits total, six counted for the 4 runs scored tonight.

It was a total team effort tonight with some strong defensive plays but it was the pitching performance of Gage Ziehl that stole the show. Just two hits coming in the 5th (back-to-back) after losing his perfect game with a walk was his only imperfection. The rest was magnifico. Easily could have thrown a completed game but when you have one of the best closers in the country it was the right decision. The second-best hitting team in the ACC was only able to bat .069 (2-29) tonight. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Tomorrow, it is for a series win and I have been told that it will be Karson Ligon rather than Alejandro Rosario starting due to illness. Rosario is now scheduled to throw Sunday instead. First pitch 7PM