Feb. 17, 2012
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Sophomore Matthew Grimes was dazzling and No. 9 Georgia Tech limited Winthrop to just one hit, blanking the Eagles, 5-0, Friday night at the Rock Hill Coca-Cola Classic in Rock Hill, S.C.
Tech flipped the tables after dropping a 5-0 defeat to Kent State earlier in the day by pounding out eight hits, jumping ahead 2-0 in the first and never looking back with Grimes in command.
“That was really key that we got runs early — scored two in the first — and Grimes took over from there,” said head coach Danny Hall, who is now 12 wins shy of winning his 1,000th career game. “Grimes was in complete control of the game and Evans threw the last two innings great as well.”
Grimes, a sophomore from Hoschton, Ga. was lights out in his 2012 debut, firing seven scoreless, one-hit innings with no walks and seven strikeouts to get the victory. Sophomore Zane Evans, who caught game one, made his first-ever collegiate appearance on the mound and was equally as effective. The righty got six straight outs (four strikeouts) to close out Tech’s first combined one-hitter since 1994.
“Anytime you get a shutout, you’re happy about it,” said Hall. “I felt like it was a good bounce back after not playing very well in the first game. It was a tough way to start the season and anytime you play a doubleheader it’s not easy, but I was happy to see us bounce back and play well.”
Jake Davies and Paul Kronenfeld each had two hits and an RBI for the Yellow Jackets (1-1), while sophomore Mitch Earnest came through with a two-RBI single in the eighth to give Tech insurance.
Kyle Wren got things going early for the White & Gold, leading the game off with a double to right, stealing third and scoring on a wild pitch. Kronenfeld’s bases-loaded RBI single drove in Davies, but Winthrop (0-1) starter Matt Pierpont escaped further trouble.
Pierpont settled in, but got no support from his offense. He lasted 5.1 innings with four hits, a walk and six strikeouts and handed the 2-0 deficit to his bullpen in the sixth. Tech scratched another run across in the seventh on a Davies’ RBI missile over the shortstop’s head to score Earnest, and Earnest delivered his two-run single in the eighth.
Tech will send sophomore Dusty Isaacs to the mound Saturday versus Kent State, in a game that has been moved to 12 p.m. due to impending rain. Listen to the game live on WREK 91.1 FM in Atlanta, online at RamblinWreck.com or follow the action on Twitter via @GT_Baseball.
NOTES:
Former Jacket Mark Pope fired a one-hitter last season in a 5-1 win at Wake Forest on April 15, but today’s game marked Tech’s first combined one-hitter since April 20, 1994 when Brad Rigby, Shane McGill and Tucker Barr won at Georgia, 8-0… Georgia Tech played a doubleheader on Opening Day for the first time since the 2004 season.
