ATLANTA (March 24) – Georgia Tech pounded out fourteen runs and fifteen hits on Friday night, as the 14th-ranked Jackets defeated Duke, 14-1, winning their ninth consecutive game.
The Jackets (18-6, 4-0 ACC) used the long ball to bombard the Blue Devils’ pitching staff, as home runs by Richard Lewis, Derik Goffena, Jason Basil and Brad Stockton provided eight of Tech’s fourteen runs.
Junior southpaw Cory Vance (5-1) was the beneficiary of Tech’s offensive assault, as he picked up his fifth win of the season. Vance allowed one run and five hits, while striking out nine, over his seven innings of work.
Tech struck early, scoring twice in the first off Blue Devils’ starter Jeff Alleva (1-5), as consecutive singles by Lewis, Mark Teixeira and Bryan Prince led to a pair of Tech runs. The onslaught continued in the third, as an RBI double by Teixeira and a two-run home run by Basil increased the Jackets’ lead to 5-0.
Tech scored four times in the fourth, keyed by Lewis’ three-run blast, as the lead grew to 9-0. After the Blue Devils (9-20, 0-4 ACC) scored their lone run in the fifth on a solo home run by J.D. Alleva, Stockton’s home run in the seventh built the lead to 10-1.
The Jackets added four in the bottom of the eighth, including Goffena’s two-run blast, which provided the final 14-1 margin.
At the plate, Lewis, Teixeira and Basil each tallied three-hit games for the Jackets.
The two teams will continue their three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Net South.
