Georgia Tech Downs NC State Baseball 8-3

Thursday, May 15

Atlanta, Ga.

7:00 PM

NC State

38-13, 0

Georgia Tech

38-14, 0

NC State

Georgia Tech

5/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 15, 2003

Final Stats

ATLANTA, Ga. - Matt Murton singled, stole two bases and drove in a run Thursday night as 10th-ranked Georgia Tech defeated ninth-ranked NC State 8-3 in the first game of an Atlantic Coast Conference series at Chandler Stadium. The game, which featured a rain delay of one hour and 27 minutes, was the first for the Wolfpack since breaking for final exams nearly two weeks ago. The Pack dropped to 38-13 overall and 14-8 in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets improved to 38-14 overall and 16-6 in the ACC.

Micah Owings (8-2), Tech's freshman righthander, got the win after allowing one run on four hits in six innings of work. He walked one and struck out five. Wolfpack starter Michael Rogers (10-3) took the loss after allowing seven runs on 11 hits in six innings. He struck out four and did not issue a walk, but was not at his best in his first start in 13 days. The loss was his second in as many starts, marking the first back-to-back losses in his career.

After NC State stranded a runner in the top of the first, Georgia Tech scored the game's first run on singles by Eric Patterson and Steven Blackwood, and a double-play grounder off the bat of Matt Murton to take a 1-0 lead. The Jackets made it 3-0 with two runs in the third. Tyler Greene and Jake Hall led off with bloop singles to put runners on first and third with none out. Patterson singled sharply to right field to drive in one run, and Steven Blackwood drove in a run by grounding into a force play. Rogers set down Matt Murton and Clifton Remole to avoid further damage.

David Hicks hit a two-out, first-pitch homer, his third long ball of the season, in the top of the fourth to get the Wolfpack on the scoreboard at 3-1.

The Yellow Jackets opened up a five-run lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Jake Hall led off and was hit by a pitch. After Patterson lined out to left, Hall went to second on a passed ball and took third on a wild pitch. Blackwood struck out for the second out, but Murton singled to left to drive in Hall, and then stole second base. Clifton Remole reached on an infield single, and Mike Nickeas singled to left to drive in Murton and make it 5-1. Jeremy Slayden followed with a bad-hop single up the middle to drive in Remole and give the Jackets a 6-1 lead.

Greene led off the bottom of the sixth with a bunt single and stole second. Hall grounded to third base, but Jeremy Dutton's throw to first was wide for an error, with Greene holding at second base. Patterson laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third, and with the infield drawn in, Blackwood singled up the middle, driving in Green to make it 7-1. Blackwood went to second when center fielder Marc Maynor overthrew the cutoff man, leaving runners on second and third, but the inning ended when Hall broke for home on Murton's grounder to shortstop. Chad Orvella threw home and catcher Justin Riley tagged out Hall in a rundown. Riley then threw to Adam Hargrave at second base to nail Murton for the third out of the inning.

Following the rain delay, the Jackets scored a run off reliever Brandon Shipwash. Remole led off with a walk and Nickeas doubled to right-center to put runners on second and third with none out. Shipwash struck out Jeremy Sladen before intentionally walking Owings to load the bases. The strategy backfired when Shipwash hit Greene with a curveball to force in a run and make it 8-1.

The Wolfpack rallied in the top of the eighth. Maynor and Dutton led off with walks, and Colt Morton singled up the middle with one down to drive in Maynor. Joe Gaetti singled to right to load the bases, and Matt Camp rolled an opposite-field single to left field, his third successive hit, to drive in Maynor and cut the Tech lead to 8-3.