Golden Eagles drop Series with 11-6 loss at Georgia Southern on Sunday
Tennessee Tech rallied late but could not overcome an early deficit Sunday afternoon, falling 11-6 to Georgia Southern in the rubber match of a three-game series at J.I. Clements Stadium.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
|
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0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 15 | 0 |
By Jeff Bowe, TTU Athletics Media Relations
STATESBORO, Ga. — Tennessee Tech rallied late but could not overcome an early deficit Sunday afternoon, falling 11-6 to Georgia Southern in the rubber match of a three-game series at J.I. Clements Stadium.
With the loss, the Golden Eagles dropped the series 2-1 and moved to 7-8 on the season, while Georgia Southern improved to 4-11. Tennessee Tech will return to action Tuesday with a road trip to No. 19 Tennessee for a 5 p.m. CT first pitch.
Tennessee Tech struck first in the opening inning when Landon Smelser doubled to deep center and later scored on a wild pitch to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead.
Georgia Southern answered with a decisive third inning, scoring five runs on four hits. James McCoy highlighted the surge with a two-run homer to center before Sean White added a two-run blast to left later in the inning to push the Eagles ahead 5-1.
Tech chipped away in the fifth as Luke Bragga singled and eventually scored on a fielder's choice by Jorsixt Jimenez, trimming the deficit to 5-2.
The Golden Eagles remained within striking distance until the seventh when Georgia Southern struck again. McCoy delivered the biggest blow of the day, launching his second home run of the game — a three-run shot to center — to cap a four-run frame and extend the lead to 9-2.
Tennessee Tech mounted a late push, plating two runs in the eighth. Owen Lee doubled and later scored on an RBI groundout by AJ Marchetti before Cade Fuller drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in another run.
The Golden Eagles added two more in the ninth when Ty Denton singled home a run and Connor Crowson followed with a sacrifice fly, but Georgia Southern closed the door to secure the series victory.
Lee finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a double to lead Tennessee Tech's offense. Smelser also had two hits, including a double, while Crowson added two hits and an RBI. Denton drove in a run and scored once.
Drew Mattox took the loss for the Golden Eagles after allowing four runs in 2.1 innings.
NEXT UP
The Golden Eagles now turn their attention to a midweek test against nationally ranked Tennessee in Knoxville on Tuesday evening. After the road game against the No. 19 team in the country, the Golden Eagles return home to host Belmont on Wednesday, Mar. 11, at 4 p.m. CT.
