ATLANTA – Too many walks and too many runners left on base.

That basically summed up No. 4 Georgia’s night at SunTrust Park, resulting in an 8-6 loss to No. 11 Georgia Tech before a crowd of 18,861.

Five Georgia pitchers combined to walk nine Yellow Jacket batters, while Georgia stranded nine batters, including two in the fifth with runners at second and third with nobody out.

“We had some opportunities, and then we just didn’t execute,” head coach Scott Stricklin said. “All we needed to do was just put a ball in play, so we had a chance to gain the momentum back. But when we didn’t score, the momentum went back in their dugout.”

Third baseman Aaron Schunk, who went 2-for-5 with a home run, agreed.

“We just didn’t really put ourselves in a position to win,” Schunk said. “We had a chance late to get it done, but just didn’t come through.”

Bulldog starter Tim Elliott (5-2) was not his typical sterling self.

Facing Georgia Tech (27-14) for the third time this year, the Yellow Jackets touched up the junior for three runs over the first two innings, the big hit a two-run double in the second by leadoff hitter Luke Waddell.

Waddell’s hit came after John Cable had put the Bulldogs (33-9) up 3-2 with a long home run into the seats in right center, following a one-run bottom of the first by Georgia Tech to go up 1-0.

It would soon get a lot worse for Georgia.

After Waddell’s RBI-double, a walk to Michael Guldberg brought up catcher Kyle McCann who launched his 15th home run, a deep blast that landed into the patio of the Chop House in right-center field.

The six runs almost equaled the total amount of runs given up by Elliott all year, who came into the game with an ERA of 1.52 and only eight earned runs allowed before being replaced by Justin Glover with one out in the second.

There was much more offense to come.

“Tim just wasn’t able to get comfortable,” Stricklin said. “He walked some guys, feel behind in the count and McCann’s three-run homer, the big blow. He just didn’t get comfortable.”

Tech stretched the lead to 7-2 on a a triple by Waddell, before Georgia tallied three in the fourth, the first coming on a home run to left by Schunk, and the second on a pair of wild pitches by the Yellow Jackets.

The teams added runs in the fifth and the six with Tucker Maxwell drilling his ninth home run to cut Georgia’ Tech lead to 8-6.

Georgia – which outhit Georgia Tech 10-6 – did get three scoreless innings from Logan Moody to give the offense a chance, but it was not to be.

The Bulldogs returns to action Friday when Georgia travels to Starkville for three against Mississippi State.

“This one’s already over,” Schunk said. “We’ll get it started on Friday, have a good series. We’ll get after them.”