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RADFORD, Va. – Georgia Tech junior James White shot 1-under-par and Yellow Jacket senior Kyle Scott shot 1-over-par to keep the Yellow Jackets in the lead after Friday’s second round of the NCAA East Regional played at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets, who shot 5-over-par on the day, are 6-over-par after two rounds and have a total of 582. But they saw their six-shot lead after round 1 cut in half, as Duke fired a second-round 2-over-par – the best team total of the day – and is 9-over-par for the regional. Oklahoma, at 12-over-par, is in third, followed by Kent State and LSU.

“We got off to a bad start today,” Georgia Tech coach Bruce Heppler said. “We were 4- or 5-over through three holes, so we kind of hung in there and played well through stretches of the round. The finish [No. 15, 16, 17 and 18] is hard.

“I’m happy with how we played. Obviously, it wasn’t our best round. But the guys did a good job of hanging in there.”

Host Virginia Tech was in seventh place after the second round, 18 shots back of Georgia Tech. But the Hokies are only four shots back of fifth place. The top five teams from each regional advance to the NCAA Championships at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Okla., on May 31-June 5.

Blake Redmond led the Hokies, shooting a 71, and teammate Bryce Chalkley finished at even par 72. Chalkley is now tied for 12^th in the race for the medalist honor with a two-round total of 3-over-par.

But standouts Marshall Bailey and Mikey Moyers struggled on the day, with Bailey – who was bothered by stomach cramps – shooting an 80 and Moyers shooting an 81.

“If anybody can make a run at it, we’ve got to be the team because we know the golf course,” Tech coach Jay Hardwick said. “The guys who played poorly today need to get their heads up because they know they’ve played this golf course good and know it’s their last chance.”

LSU’s Sang Yi shot the round of the day, finishing at 3-under 69. He’s not at 1-over for the regional and in a tie for fifth place.

Georgia Tech’s Scott, who shot 68 in the first round to take the individual lead, didn’t enjoy quite the same success in the second round. He shot a 73, with two bogeys and a birdie.

“I hit some good shots. I just didn’t hit any balls really close, unfortunately,” Scott said. “I had a couple of shots inside 10 feet, but for the most part, I felt like I was putting from 30 feet all day.

“I’m good. I’ve just got to get the ball a little closer. I struck it really good today. I’ve just got to be confident of my club selection and stick it in there.”

Scott now has some company at the top of the leader board in the battle for medalist honors. Oklahoma sophomore Abraham Ancer, a 5-foot-7 ball-striking machine from Mission, Texas, shot a 1-under 71 – one of just 10 rounds under par on the day – and is tied with Scott at 3-under for the regional. UNC Wilmington’s Josh Brock and White, the Georgia Tech junior, are three back at even par.

“Fairways and greens, and make a few putts,” Ancer said. “These greens are small, so if you hit the middle of the green, you’re going to make some putts. That was my game plan for this week.

“I’m not even thinking about it [being tied for the lead in the regional]. I’m just going to go out and try to do the same things I’ve done the past two days, and we’ll see what happens.”

The regional’s final round is Saturday, with the first tee time slated for 7:30 a.m. The Hokies will tee off on hole No. 10 at 7:30. Georgia Tech, Duke and Oklahoma will be paired together and tee off on hole No. 1 at 8:40 a.m.

For updates on Virginia Tech golf, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_MGolf).