CLEMSON, S.C. – In a thrilling finish, Georgia Tech’s Mike Becchetti launched a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to lead his team to a 14-12 victory over No. 4 Clemson in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. With this win, the Yellow Jackets leveled the series at 1-1, improving to 28-16 overall and 12-11 in ACC play. Meanwhile, the Tigers dropped to 35-10 overall and 16-7 in ACC action.
Blake Wright had a standout game for Clemson, going 4-for-5 with a career-high seven RBIs. He opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first inning, extending his hitting streak to 15 games. Payton Green then tied the game in the second with an RBI single. Wright hit his second homer of the game and third of the day—a three-run shot in the third inning, pushing Clemson ahead 4-1.
Georgia Tech started to close the gap with a run-scoring single by Bobby Zmarzlak in the fourth, but Clemson answered with three runs in the fifth. Jacob Hinderleider hit a two-run double to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, and Wright followed with an RBI double, giving Clemson a 7-2 advantage.
In the top of the sixth, John Giesler’s solo homer narrowed Clemson’s lead. Wright’s RBI single in the bottom of the sixth provided some breathing room, but Georgia Tech’s Drew Burress hit a three-run homer in the seventh, followed by Matthew Ellis with a solo homer, tightening the score to 8-7.
Clemson responded with four runs in the bottom of the seventh. Jack Crighton, Nolan Nawrocki, Wright, and Cam Cannarella all contributed, pushing the Tigers’ lead to 12-7.
However, Georgia Tech mounted another comeback in the eighth, with Burress hitting his second three-run homer to make it 12-11. Becchetti’s two-run homer in the ninth completed the turnaround, putting Georgia Tech ahead for the first time in the game. A solo homer by pinch-hitter Vahn Lackey added insurance for the Yellow Jackets.
Mason Patel (2-2) picked up the win for Georgia Tech, while Austin Gordon (0-2) took the loss for Clemson. The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
