Duke at Georgia Tech
ATLANTA (Interstat) — The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (39-8, 19-4 ACC) will host the Duke Blue Devils (23-27, 12-14) in the finale of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series Sunday at Russ Chandler Stadium.
First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m., with a 7 p.m. game also on the docket. The forecast calls for 65 degrees and rain.
Georgia Tech has dominated the series, winning the first two games. On Friday, the Yellow Jackets edged Duke 10-9 in 10 innings. On Saturday, they routed the Blue Devils 15-2 in seven innings.
Right-hander Carson Ballard, coming off a dominant start in Saturday’s win, is a key player for Georgia Tech. In that game, Ballard pitched five innings, allowing one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts. For the season, Ballard is 8-1 with a 2.90 ERA. In his past five outings, he has recorded wins against Xavier, Kennesaw State, Georgia and Georgia Southern, striking out 20 in 17.2 innings.
Duke’s Jordan Regulski will look to bounce back. The right-hander appeared in Saturday’s loss, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings with one strikeout. He also pitched a scoreless inning in a loss at Boston College on April 17. Regulski has a 5.68 ERA this season.
Georgia Tech’s offense is averaging 9.2 runs per game. Ryan Zuckerman homered and drove in five runs Saturday, and Drew Burress added a home run and three RBIs.
Duke’s recent form is troubling. The Blue Devils have lost six of their past seven games, including a 13-0, seven-inning loss at North Carolina on May 3 and an 11-7 defeat to Queens (N.C.) on May 5.
A computer simulation by Interstat projects a 7-1 Georgia Tech victory.
After Sunday’s doubleheader, Duke returns home to host William & Mary on Tuesday, then begins a three-game ACC series against Wake Forest on Thursday. Georgia Tech hosts Mercer on Tuesday before traveling to Boston College for a three-game ACC series beginning Thursday.