March 4, 2003
ATLANTA – Center fielder Brandon Boggs hit two home runs while Micah Owings and Brian Burks combined on a five-hitter to lead top-ranked Georgia Tech (10-0) to a 5-3 win over visiting Campbell (3-9) on Wednesday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Georgia Tech’s 10-game winning streak to open 2003 is the third best mark to start a season. The Yellow Jackets set a school record with a 16-0 start in 1987 and went 11-0 to open the 1985 season.
Owings (3-0) earned the win in his first start of the season, holding the Camels to two runs on four hits in six innings of work. He struck out three and did not issue a walk, needing just 69 pitches to work through six innings. Burks picked up his third save of the season by working the final three innings to close out the game.
A solo home run from Boggs gave the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Tech made the score 2-0 when Steven Blackwood led off the second inning with a triple and scored on a wild pitch.
The score remained 2-0 until the Camels broke through with two runs in the top of the fifth to tie the game. Tom Rispoli and Lonnie Whitehead were both hit by pitches from Owings, and then moved into scoring position on a balk. Rispoli scored on a passed ball, while Whitehead came around on an infield RBI single by Nic Ewing.
Tech answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to retake the lead at 4-2. Eric Patterson led off the inning with a walk, stole second base, and scored on Jeremy Slayden’s RBI triple in the right field corner. A sacrifice fly from Steven Blackwood drove in Slayden with the second run of the inning.
Boggs added another solo homer, his fourth of the year after not hitting a home run during the entire 2002 season, to make the score 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning. A two-out solo home run from Jason Brown, his first of the year, made the score 5-3 in the top of the ninth inning, but Burks retired Ewing to end the game.
Campbell starter Pat Murray (0-1) took the loss, allowing four runs in 5.1 innings.
Georgia Tech and Campbell will conclude the two-game series on Wednesday at 4 p.m., and live statistics for the game will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com.
