June 4, 2006
ATLANTA – Tournament Most Outstanding Player Matt Wieters hit two home runs and Ryan Turner worked a career-long 8 1/3 innings on the mound to lead top-seeded Georgia Tech (48-16) to an 8-4 win over second-seeded Vanderbilt (38-27) in the championship game of the NCAA Atlanta Regional on Sunday night.
Georgia Tech advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals for the third straight season, and the Yellow Jackets captured their sixth NCAA Regional title. Tech will face the College of Charleston, starting either Friday or Saturday.
Wieters had two hits, both homers, in two at bats, and drew three walks. He reached base safely in 14 of 15 plate appearances in the regional, including each of his last 11 plate appearances, with seven hits and six walks.
Wieters was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Mike Trapani, Michael Fisher, Jeff Kindel and Ryan Turner.
Turner (4-3) worked into the ninth inning, allowing four runs on eight hits, while striking out six and walking none. Wieters closed out the victory on the mound, facing the final three batters in the ninth without allowing a run.
Vanderbilt starter Cody Crowell (6-3) took the loss, allowing six runs on 10 hits in 5.1 innings.
Wieters staked the Yellow Jackets to a 1-0 lead in the third inning with a solo home run to center field, his second of the tournament.
The Yellow Jackets added three runs in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 4-0. Michael Fisher had a RBI double before Mike Trapani hit a two-run homer, his fifth of the season.
Dominic de la Osa hit a solo home run, his ninth of the year, to put Vanderbilt on the board and make the score 4-1 in the fifth inning.
Tech extended the lead to 6-1 with two runs in the sixth inning. The Yellow Jackets loaded the bases with one out on a single and two walks before Whit Robbins forced in a run with a walk and Wally Crancer delivered a sacrifice fly.
Wieters hit a two-run homer, his second of the game and team-leading 13th of the year, to give Tech an 8-1 lead in the seventh inning.
Alex Feinberg hit a solo homer, the first of his career, and Pedro Alvarez added a solo shot, his school-record 22nd of the season, to make the score 8-3 in the eighth inning.
The Commodores scored once in the top of the ninth, as de la Osa registered his fourth hit of the night with a one-out single, and later scored the game’s final run on a two-out RBI single by Feinberg.
| LINE SCORE | R-H-E | ||||
| VU | 000 | 010 | 021 | — | 4-9-0 |
| GT | 001 | 302 | 20x | — | 8-11-1 |
NCAA Atlanta Regional All-Tournament Team
C – Matt Wieters, Georgia Tech
1B – Nate Recknagel, Michigan
2B – Mike Trapani, Georgia Tech
SS – Michael Fisher, Georgia Tech
3B – Pedro Alvarez, Vanderbilt
OF – Jeff Kindel, Georgia Tech
OF – Ryan Davis, Vanderbilt
OF – Derek VanBuskirk, Michigan
DH – Chris Johnson, Stetson
P – Matt Buschmann, Vanderbilt
P – Ryan Turner, Georgia Tech
Most Outstanding Player – Matt Wieters, Georgia Tech
