/
.
Virginia Baseball Falls To #10 Georgia Tech, 9-3
Story Links
April 28, 2002
ATLANTA, Ga. – The University of Virginia baseball team dropped a 9-3decision to the #10 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the final contestof the three-game weekend series at Russ Chandler Stadium. Virginia held abrief 3-2 lead before the Yellow Jackets responded with seven unanswered runsto hand the Cavaliers a six-run loss. Georgia Tech claimed the weekendseries by winning two of the three games. UVa recorded a 5-1 victory in gameone of the series on Friday and GT posted a 3-2 victory in 12 innings onSaturday before putting the wraps on the series with today’s 9-3 win.
Georgia Tech wasted no time putting its first run on the scoreboard and tookan early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Matt Murton hit atwo-run home run down the right field line to give the Yellow Jackets atwo-run lead.
However, Virginia answered right back in the top of the fourth inning withthree runs of its own and took a 3-2 lead when the first four batters in theorder recorded a hit. David Stone started things off with a single beforeMatt Street singled to right field to put baserunners on the corners. DanStreet hit a RBI-double in the Cavaliers’ next at-bat to drive in Stone tomake it a 2-1 contest. One batter later, Robert Word singled to drive it M.Street to tie the game at 2-2 before Mark Reynolds gave Virginia a 3-2 leadwith a RBI sacrifice fly into shallow right field to score D. Street.
However, the Yellow Jackets countered UVa’s three-run, fourth inning withthree runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth inning took a 5-3 lead.Tyler Parker scored a run on a RBI ground out by Brandon Boggs to knot thescore at 3-3 before GT regained and took a 4-3 lead when Matthew Boggsexecuted a bunt single to score Wes Rynders. Two batters later, GeorgiaTech’s Jeremy Slayden dropped in a RBI-single into shallow left field toscore Davis Meyers to give the Yellow Jackets a two-run advantage.
The Yellow Jackets took a 7-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning whenVictor Menocal doubled and scored a run one batter later on a RBI-single tocenter field by Slayden before Jason Perry drove in Slayden with a RBI-singleto center field two batters later. Georgia Tech extended its lead to 9-3 inthe bottom of the eighth inning when Murton hit his second two-run home runof the afternoon with a liner to left field that also scored Menocal.
UVa starting pitcher Canon Hickman (4-5) took the loss after going just 3.1innings on the mound while allowing five runs (three earned) on four hitswith two strikeouts. GT’s Brian Burks (8-3) picked up the win after goingseven complete innings while allowing three runs on 10 hits with a game-highfive strikeouts.
With the loss, Virginia’s record falls to 23-23 overall, 8-10 in the ACC.The win improves Georgia Tech’s record to 36-9 overall, 10-7 in theconference.
The Cavaliers will return to action on Tuesday, April 30th when the Cavaliershosts the Virginia Tech Hokies in a non-conference game. First pitch isscheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the UVa Baseball Field, home of Davenport Field.
— UVa —