May 22, 2014
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Drew Van Orden pitched a complete game to lead Duke to a 6-0 victory over Georgia Tech as pool play continued Thursday at the 2014 ACC Baseball Championship at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, N.C.
A.J. Murray had a two hits and Ben Parr allowed just two runs, but the Blue Devils hit three home runs to hand the Yellow Jackets their first loss in Greensboro. Tech’s four-game winning streak was snapped in slipping to 34-25 overall. Duke improved to 33-24.
Each team is now 1-1 in Pool A. Clemson and Georgia Tech battle in the Jackets’ pool-play finale Friday at 3 p.m. and Tech would need a win over the Tigers combined with a Miami win over Duke on Saturday to reach Sunday’s ACC title game. A loss would eliminate the Jackets.
Van Orden fanned eight and walked one in improving his record to 6-5. He scattered just five hits in the winning effort.
“He pretty much had our number,” said head coach Danny Hall. “We couldn’t make adjustments at the plate and that’s the story of the game. You’ve got to tip your cap to Drew Van Orden.”
After Tech’s Ben Parr and Van Orden matched zeros over the first three innings, Ryan Deitrich launched a solo home to right for a 1-0 lead. Andy Perez added a solo shot to left in the fifth for a 2-0 lead and that would be all the Blue Devils needed for Van Orden.
Deitrich finished 4-for-5 and added an RBI single in the ninth. Perez and Jordan Betts, who hit a two-run homer in the seventh, each had three hits.
Parr absorbed the loss (5-4) after working 5.1 innings and allowing two runs with one walk and three strikeouts.
Defensively, the Jackets played error-free for the third straight game in Greensboro and turned two more double plays. Tech continues to lead the nation in double plays turned (70) and is one shy of tying the school record of 71 set in 1985.
The ACC-best 36-game reached-base streak by Mott Hyde and the eight-game hitting streak by Ryan Peurifoy were each halted in the game.
Friday’s game versus Clemson marks the first meeting of the year between long-time rivals, who have played 212 times previously dating back to 1902. This was the first season since 1973 that Tech and Clemson did not play in the regular season.
