Virginia Baseball Falls To #3 Georgia Tech, 13-9
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April 1, 2001
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After 26 hits, 22 runs scored and a steady dose of rain for the length of the contest, the #3 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets came away with a 13-9 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers at the UVa Baseball Field. Georgia Tech used a nine-run, fourth inning to its advantage to win two of three games in the Atlantic Coast Conference series between the two teams.
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Brad Stockton (2-4, three RBI, run) hit an RBI-double to right-center field that scored teammates Jason Basil (1-3, two runs, RBI) and Matt Murton (3-4, two runs, RBI). But the Cavaliers tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom half of the inning when Chris Sweet (1-4, RBI, run) singled to left field to score Mark Rueffert (1-4, two runs) before David Stone (2-4, RBI) walked with the bases loaded to score Robert Word (1-5, two RBI, run).
UVa took its only lead of the game in the bottom of the third inning when Eric Christensen (RBI) hit the ball to short stop to score Hunter Wyant (2-5, two runs, RBI) to make it a 3-2 Virginia lead. However, Georgia Tech broke the game wide open in the top of the fourth inning by scoring nine runs on eight hits to pull out to an 11-3 lead. The Yellow Jackets’ Bryan Prince (3-6, two RBI, two runs) highlighted the inning for Georgia Tech with a two-run, RBI double that scored Brad Stockton (2-4, three RBI, run) and Wes Rynders (RBI, run). The Yellow Jackets added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning to extend their lead to 13-3 when Richard Lewis (4-6, two RBI, two runs) hit an RBI-triple to left field to score Matthew Boggs (2-5, run) before scoring himself on an RBI-single to right field by Victor Menocal (1-6, RBI).
Just when it appeared Virginia was down and out, the Cavaliers rallied to score six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning beginning with an RBI-double to center field by Doug Vroman (2-4, RBI, run). UVa’s Rob Newton (RBI, run) scored Vroman on a fielders choice before Wyant scored Newton on an RBI-single through the right side. Two batters later, Word drove in two more runs for the Cavaliers on an RBI-single to right field before Christensen scored Rueffert on a sacrifice fly to right field to make it a 13-9 contest. But that would be all the scoring recorded by both teams, as the final three innings of the game went scoreless.
Georgia Tech’s Kevin Cameron (4-1) earned his fourth win of the season by pitching 5.0 innings and allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits to go along with a career and game-high 10 strikeouts. The Yellow Jackets’ Andy Mitchell tallied his second save of the year after pitching 3.2 scoreless innings to go with five strikeouts as he closed out the game in relief of teammate Brian Burks. UVa’s Canon Hickman (2-3) lost for the third time this season in his first ACC start after pitching 4.0 innings and surrendering 11 runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts.
With the loss, Virginia’s record falls to 17-12 overall, 5-7 in the ACC. The win improves Georgia Tech’s record to 23-7 overall, 6-3 in the conference. The Yellow Jackets won two of the three games to win the weekend series.
The Cavaliers will return to action on Tuesday, April 3rd when UVa travels to Richmond, Va. to face the Richmond Spiders. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. and will be played at Pitts Field. Georgia Tech will return to home action on Tuesday as well with a contest against Georgia State beginning at 7:00 p.m.
– UVa –