March 7, 2010
ATLANTA – Jed Bradley struck out nine batters, and five players recorded multiple hits as the No. 4 Georgia Tech baseball team (10-1) completed the series sweep of Rutgers (1-8) with a 9-4 win Sunday at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Bradley (2-1) was sharp on the mound in his third start of the season, allowing no runs and scattering just four Rutgers hits over 6.0 innings pitched. The sophomore left-hander fanned nine batters on the day, and now has 27 strikeouts in 17.0 innings on the season. He did not issue a single walk in the outing.
After a season-high 20 hits a day earlier, the Jackets tallied 14 on Sunday including six that went for extra-base hits.
Sophomore third baseman Matt Skole led the attack on the offense, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBI. The double and home run were the each the third of the season for Skole, who batted 6-for-10 (.600) in the three-game series.
“Matt [Skole] had a real good weekend, and a great day today,” head coach Danny Hall said. “He’s a good hitter, and had a good year last year. He’s improving, and I thought he had some very good at-bats today.”
Senior Tony Plagman, juniors Derek Dietrich and Cole Leonida, and sophomore Jacob Esch also notched a pair of hits on the day. Esch has gone four-straight games with at least two hits, and has seven multiple hit games on the season.
Deitrich and Plagman got things going early for Tech in the bottom of the first inning, with back-to-back RBI doubles for a 2-0 lead. Skole’s two-run home run just two batters later made it 4-0 for the home side.
In the bottom of the third, the Jackets extended the lead to 8-0 on a three-run homer from junior Chase Burnette and a sac fly RBI by senior Jay Dantzler. Burnette’s home run was the 21st on the year for Tech, and the fourth of the series for the Jackets.
Freshman Buck Farmer and senior Andrew Robinson worked a scoreless seventh and eighth inning out of the bullpen, as Tech appeared to be set for its sixth shutout of the season.
Rutgers would deny the Jackets the opportunity however, scoring four runs with one out in the top of the ninth, three of them on a home run to left field. It was just the second home run allowed by Tech this season. Junior Kevin Jacob retired the next two batters to preserve the win.
The Jackets return to action Wednesday, March 10, as they travel to Mercer for a 6 p.m. game in Macon, Ga.
