March 3, 2007
ATLANTA – Wally Crancer recorded a career-high four hits and drove in three runs to lead No. 14 Georgia Tech (8-5) to a 10-8 win over Rutgers (4-4) Saturday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Crancer went 4-for-5 with three RBI and is now 7-for-11 with two runs and four RBI through the first two games of the series against the Scarlet Knights. Michael Fisher also drove in three runs on the day, going 2-for-4 with a double, while Patrick Long added a pair of hits, including a double, while scoring a pair of runs.
Jared Hyatt (1-0) earned the win in relief by holding Rutgers to two runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits in 3.1 innings. Matt Wieters picked up his second save of the season by tossing a scoreless ninth inning and also recorded a pair of RBI on the afternoon.
The Scarlet Knights jumped on the Jackets early, scoring four runs by collecting four-straight hits to begin the game. Todd Frazier led off with a single and moved to third on a double by Mike Bionde. A single by Ryan Hill plated Frazier and Bionde before David Williams singled and Frank Meade was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Tim Querns. Tech starter Chris Hicks forced Querns to ground into a double play, which also scored Hill, but a double by Jon Gossard drove in Williams before Tom Edwards struck out to end the inning.
Danny Payne walked to lead off the bottom of the first, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single by Crancer to make the score 4-1, but an RBI double by Hill in the top of the second extended Rutgers’ lead back to four runs, 5-1.
The Jackets scored three runs in the second inning to pull within one run of the Scarlet Knights and then tacked on three more runs in the fourth inning to take a 7-5 lead.
Patrick Long led off the second inning with a single and Tony Plagman walked before Brad Feltes delivered a single to left field to plate Long for the Jackets’ second run of the game. Following a groundout by Payne, Michael Fisher pulled a double down the right field line, which scored Plagman and Feltes and pulled the Jackets to within one run, 5-4.
With two outs and Plagman on base in the fourth inning, Payne earned a walk and Fisher singled to load the bases for Wieters, who walked on four straight pitches to score Plagman, tying the game at 5-5. Crancer then drove in Payne and Fisher with a single to left field to give the Jackets their first lead of the game.
Hill hit his second homerun of the season over the right field wall to lead off the fifth inning and Querns added an RBI groundout to tie the game, but the Jackets responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead back at 9-7. With two outs in the inning, Plagman, Feltes and Payne all walked to load the bases for Fisher, who was hit by a pitch on a 3-0 count to score Plagman. Wieters then received his second bases-loaded walk of the day to plate Feltes before Rutgers reliever Jason Downey forced a lineout by Crancer for the final out.
The Jackets extended their lead to three runs on an RBI single by Plagman in the sixth inning, but Hill smacked his second home run of the game to lead off the seventh, narrowing Tech’s lead to 10-8.
Hill finished the game 4-for-4 with a double, two home runs, five RBI and three runs scored.
Dennis Hill (1-1) took the loss for the Scarlet Knights, giving up two runs on no hits in an inning of work. He struck out one batter, but walked four in relief of Rutgers starter Casey Gaynor.
Georgia Tech and Rutgers will wrap up the three-game series Sunday in a game that is scheduled to be broadcast on ACC Select (gatech.playonsports.tv) and WREK-Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta/www.wrek.org). First pitch is at 12 noon, which is a change from previously-published schedules due to the 3 p.m. men’s basketball game against Boston College. Live stats for game can be found on www.ramblinwreck.com.
