Tech’s Gold Gives Up First Runs as Starter
Georgia Tech pitcher Brandon Gold’s perfect start to his career as a college starter came to an end Saturday, March 21, but the Yellow Jackets’ bats bailed him out.
Brandon Gold
Gold, a right hander who is the son of Barry and Kathy Gold, had not given up a run in his first 23 innings as a starting pitcher for Tech, but North Carolina broke through for a run in the second inning and added an Alex Raburn grand slam on a 3-1 pitch with two outs in the fourth for a 5-0 lead in Game 2 of a three-game series.
Gold, an Alpharetta sophomore from Johns Creek High and Davis Academy, pitched a hitless fifth inning to complete his day. He allowed five hits and five earned runs, walked two, and struck out five. His earned run average for the season, including two early relief appearances, jumped from 0.61 to 1.83.
But Gold’s record remained 3-0 as Georgia Tech scored three runs in the sixth and two in the eighth and walked off with the win on an RBI single from Thomas Smith in the bottom of the ninth.
Starting with Gold’s last inning of work, North Carolina did not have a hit in the final five innings. The game is in the ESPN3 archive.
The weather disrupted Gold’s routine against the 18th-ranked Tar Heels. His first three starts came on Sundays, and he was scheduled to pitch on Sunday again. But the rainy forecast for March 22 led the 21st-ranked Yellow Jackets to play a doubleheader Saturday, and Gold pitched Game 2 instead of Game 3.
Weather permitting, Gold’s next start should be 1 p.m. Sunday, March 29, at Louisville. The game will be shown live online at ESPN3.com.
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