ATLANTA – The California baseball team (17-17, 6-11 ACC) dropped its second straight contest to No. 18 Georgia Tech (28-7, 13-4 ACC) on Saturday at Russ Chandler Stadium by a score of 15-5 in a run-rule shortened eight innings. Jarren Advincula (2-3, 2 R, 2 2B, BB) and Cade Campbell (2-3, BB, 2 RBI) combined for four of Cal's six hits, while Ryan Tayman (1-2, R, HR, 2 RBI) homered and drove in a pair or runs, and Carl Schmidt (1-4, R, 2B, RBI) drove in and scored one run each.

John Giesler (3-4, 2 R, 5 RBI, HR, SF) and Alex Hernandez (3-3, 4 R, 2B, 2 BB) had three hits each to lead the Yellow Jackets' 14-hit attack, while Vahn Lackey (2-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Drew Burress (2-5, R, BB, RBI) and Carson Kerce (2-2, 4 R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, SF) added two apiece, and Nahanael Coupet (1-2, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, HBP, SF) homered and drove in three.

Georgia Tech started early Saturday when Lackey homered in the Yellow Jackets first at bat off Cal starter and losing pitcher David Shaw (0-3). The Yellow Jackets added a run in the bottom of the first on a Kerce sacrifice fly.
Georgia Tech got another run in the second on an RBI single from Lackey before Cal got answered back with two runs in the top of the third to briefly cut the Yellow Jackets' lead to 3-2. Advincula drew a walk to start the rally then scored on Schmidt's RBI double. Campbell followed with an RBI single to score Schmidt.

But the Yellow Jackets got both runs back in the third on back-to-back sacrifice flies from Giesler and Coupet to extend their lead to 5-2.

Cal came up with one run in the fifth when Advincula doubled with one out and scored on Campbell's two-out RBI single to get the Bears' back within 5-3 but they left two stranded and would never get as close the rest of the way.

Giesler gave the Yellow Jackets command of the game with a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth that was the Yellow Jackets' third of the series to extend Georgia Tech's lead to 8-3. The Bears were able to get out of a bases-loaded jam without any further damage for the second time in the contest.

Tayman blasted his fourth home run of the season over the wall in right center field with two outs in the sixth before he had an RBI groundout in the eighth to plate the Bears' final two runs.

Georgia Tech scored a pair of runs in between the two that Tayman drove in on a two-run single by Coupet in the bottom of the sixth.

The Yellow Jackets closed out the game with five runs in the bottom of the eighth on just two hits. Giesler had an RBI single in the inning before Cal's pitchers walked in two runs and hit a batter to plate another before Burress ended the contest with a bases-loaded RBI single.

Georgia Tech starter Brady Jones earned the win to improve to 4-0, scattering four runs (four earned), six hits, two walks and two hit batsmen with seven strikeouts over 6.0 innings.

Shaw gave up eight runs (eight earned) along with nine hits, four walks and one hit batsmen with one strikeout in 4.0 innings. Jordy Lopez (3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO) equaled a career high for innings pitched as the first of four Cal relievers.

The teams conclude their series Sunday with the start time of their series finale moved up 30 minutes to 9:30 a.m. PT. A live stream of the contest will be available on ACCNX/ESPN+.
 
STAY POSTED
For coverage of Cal baseball, please follow the Bears on X (@CalBaseball) and Instagram (@CalBaseball).