Feb. 27, 2008
ATLANTA – Charlie Blackmon’s two-out single in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted No. 22 Georgia Tech (5-0) to a 1-0 victory against Georgia Southern (1-4) Wednesday afternoon, helping the Yellow Jackets sweep the midweek series from the Eagles.
Jason Haniger singled to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jeff Rowland. After reliever Kyle Kamppi struck out Patrick Long for the second out of the inning, Blackmon looped a single over the head of shortstop Brian Pierce and just out of reach of diving left fielder Jonathan King.
Kamppi (0-1) took the loss for the Eagles, giving up one run on two hits. Brad Rulon (2-0) picked up his second win of the season by pitching a scoreless 10th. He yielded just one hit and struck out one in the process.
Yellow Jacket pitchers Brandon Cumpton, Kevin Jacob, Andrew Robinson and Rulon combined to toss Georgia Tech’s third shutout of the season, one more than the Jackets recorded in all of 2007.
Cumpton, Tech’s starting pitcher, worked out of jams in the second and third innings while limiting the Eagles to two hits through four innings of work. With runners on the corners and no outs in the second, Cumpton struck out Brian Pierce and forced a popup and groundout to get out of the frame.
Georgia Southern loaded the bases with one out in the third inning, but Cumpton again worked out of a jam by striking out Jeremiah Parker and forcing a flyout by catcher Griffin Benedict.
Tech loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, but Justin Davis forced a groundout by Luke Murton to end the threat. The Georgia Southern starter held the Yellow Jackets to just three hits while striking out eight and walking two.
Neither starting pitcher figured into the decision.
Matt Miller went 2-for-3 for the Eagles and was the only player from either team to notch multiple hits on the day. Tech managed just seven hits while Georgia Southern was held to six.
The Yellow Jackets continue their season-opening 13-game homestand this weekend when they host the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University. Game times for Friday and Saturday are 4 p.m., and the Jackets and Knights will conclude the three-game series with a 1 p.m. first pitch Sunday. Fans attending Saturday’s men’s basketball game against Wake Forest at 2 p.m. can gain admission to that afternoon’s baseball game for just $1.
–GT–
