Box Score

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Live Broadcasts:  Game 3  |  Live Stats:  Game 3

ATLANTA, Ga. – Mount Vernon native Brent Lovell hit a 3-run home run as Eastern Kentucky beat No. 15 Georgia Tech, 9-6, on Saturday at Russ Chandler Stadium.
 
The win is the program's sixth victory against a top-30 ranked team since the start of the 2016 season.
 
The Colonels (1-1) scored in the first inning and never trailed.  The EKU lead-off hitter reached base in five straight innings – the third through the seventh – and scored each time.  Eastern drew 11 walks in the game, forcing six Yellowjacket pitchers to throw a total of 223 pitches.
 
Eastern Kentucky will go for the series win on Sunday at 1 p.m.  The game will air live on the ACC Network Extra.
 
EKU's other top-30 wins in the last six seasons include beating No. 13 Mississippi State, 16-12, on March 15, 2016; knocking off No. 28 Kentucky, 5-4, on May 3, 2016; beating No. 15 Virginia, 7-6, on Feb. 23, 2018; edging No. 11 Vanderbilt, 6-5, on March 14, 2018 and upending No. 11 LSU, 2-0, on Feb. 21, 2020.
 
Caleb Upshaw's single to right field with one out in the first inning brought home Logan Thomason and gave Eastern Kentucky a lead it would never relinquish.  Thomason reached on a single to left to start the third inning and scored on an error to make it 2-0.  The Colonels went up 3-1 in the fourth after freshman Will King followed Kendal Ewell's lead-off triple with a single through the left side.
 
Upshaw started the fifth with a double to center and Charlie Ludwick followed with a walk to set the table for Lovell, who missed the 2020 season with an injury.  With a 1-0 count, the sophomore launched his fifth career home run over the wall in left field to turn a 3-1 lead into a 6-1 advantage.
 
Georgia Tech stopped the bleeding with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but EKU answered with two key runs in the sixth.  Thomason drew a walk to begin the frame, moved to second when Daniel Harris IV walked, and advanced to third on a wild pitch.  With one out, Ludwick sent a ball deep enough to center to drive in Thomason.  Harris advanced to third on the sacrifice fly and then scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-3.
 
The Yellowjackets stayed within striking distance with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but just as they had in the fourth and sixth innings, the Colonels answered.  Cam Ridley singled to begin the seventh and scored on a single to right field by Harris.
 
A solo home run by Drew Compton and an RBI single by Luke Waddell in the bottom half of the seventh drew the home team to within three, 9-6.  With the tying run at the plate John Farley got a strike out to end the seventh.  Will Brian, who also missed the 2020 season with an injury, came on to pitch in the eighth and retired the side in order.
 
Georgia Tech's first two batters in the bottom of the ninth reached to bring the tying run to the plate.  Brian got a strike out and then a game-ending 4-6-3 double play to end the game.  The double play was confirmed after a video review.
 
Lovell finished 1-for-4 with a walk, a run and three RBIs.  Thomason had two walks, went 2-for-4 and scored three times.  Upshaw had two hits in six at bats, scored a run and drove one in.  Freshman Max Williams also had two walks and two hits.
 
Louis Davenport III started for Eastern Kentucky.  He allowed one run on three hits and struck out four in three innings.  Senior Brennan Kelly (1-0) earned the win after pitching two and one-third innings in relief.  He allowed three runs on five hits and struck out two.  Brian (1) earned the save after tossing two innings of hitless relief.  He struck out two and walked one.
 
Waddell finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI for Georgia Tech.  Compton was 3-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.