April 2, 2010
ATLANTA – Junior Chase Burnette was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, while Deck McGuire picked up his fifth win of the season to lift No. 2 Georgia Tech past Duke, 13-3, Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Tech improves to 23-3 overall on the season, and 9-1 in conference play to remain in first place in the ACC Coastal Division. Tech has won six-consecutive conference games, its most since winning nine straight during the 2005 season.
The Jackets combined for 13 hits Friday, led by three apiece from Burnette and junior Cole Leonida.
McGuire worked seven innings on the night, holding Duke to three runs on six hits. He struck out five.
The junior right-hander retired nine-straight to start the game, before the Blue Devils picked up their first hit of the game in the top of the fourth inning. Duke cut Tech’s lead to one, at 3-2 in the frame, with a pair of runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Jeremy Gould and Will Currier. That was as close as the Jackets would let the Blue Devils get all night.
“It was just one of those nights,” McGuire said. “I didn’t exactly have my best stuff. I just tried to go out and keep the ball down and keep our team in a position to win. The offense really came through and picked me up with a huge sixth inning, and I just kind of went from there.”
Tech would go on to plate eight runs in the sixth, ignited by a two-run home run to right field by Burnette. Rowland, Plagman and Leonida would each chip in with RBI singles, before two more runs crossed in the inning on a wild pitch and a balk by Duke relief pitcher David Putman.
It was the second most runs in an inning this year for the Jackets, two shy of the season-high of 10 against Xavier back on Feb. 27.
The Jackets would trade a run with Duke in the seventh, and then close out the scoring in the eighth on a single by Burnette to right field for his third RBI of the game.
Freshman Clay Dalton pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth inning, holding Duke to just two hits in relief of McGuire. The two-inning stint was a career-high for Dalton. He picked up two strikeouts in the outing.
Duke starter Christopher Manno (1-1) lost for the first time this season. He allowed five runs on five hits in 5.0 innings.
The series continues Saturday at 6 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium.
