Jun. 6—Three errors and four unearned runs proved too much to overcome as Georgia Tech baseball fell to No. 4 Vanderbilt, 4-3, on Saturday night in the Nashville Regional at Hawkins Field.
The Yellow Jackets (30-24) got a fine start out of true freshman RHP Marquis Grissom, Jr. (1-3), who worked 4.1 innings and allowed just two hits and struck out two, getting two double plays as well.
Tech took the lead in the top of the fourth when Kevin Parada drilled a 3-1 pitch to left center for a leadoff home run. The fourth-ranked Commodores (42-15) were then able to get their runs with two in the bottom half of the fourth and two in the fifth — all unearned.
Offensively for the Jackets, Drew Compton cut the lead to one in the ninth with a mammoth two-run homer. Austin Wilhite also doubled early and Justyn-Henry Malloy also blooped a single. In relief, RHP Zach Maxwell recorded a strikeout before LHP Dalton Smith dealt 3.1 terrific innings to close, striking out four and allowing just one hit.
On the mound for Vanderbilt, RHP Jack Leiter (9-3) struck out 11 in six innings of work allowing the Parada homer. CJ Rodriguez led at the plate with an RBI double on the night.
Georgia Tech will now have to battle back, playing in the 3 p.m. ET elimination game in a rematch against Indiana State.