April 8, 2003
ATLANTA – Mike Nickeas and Micah Owings each had three hits including a home run, and Chris Goodman struck out a career-high nine batters in six strong innings to lead fifth-ranked Georgia Tech (25-6) to an 11-3 win over cross town rival Georgia State (18-16) on a rainy Tuesday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Goodman (4-1) earned a win in his second straight start after allowing three unearned runs on four hits. He struck out a career-high nine batters and did not issue a walk while facing the minimum number of batters through the first five innings of the game.
With the win, the Yellow Jackets improved to 6-0 against teams from the state of Georgia in 2003, and 48-8 against its in-state foes since 1999. Georgia Tech has won 20 of the last 21 meetings with Georgia State. Tech pitchers Goodman, Aaron Walker, Ryan Self, Jordan Crews and Nick Wagner combined on the four hitter.
Owings and Nickeas both went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in the game, while Tyler Greene added three hits in the 14-hit Georgia Tech attack.
The Yellow Jackets batted around and scored four runs in the first inning to jump to an early lead. After Brandon Boggs led off the inning with a walk and Eric Patterson doubled, Matt Murton drove in two runs with a single. Mike Nickeas and Tyler Greene added RBI singles later in the inning.
Georgia State scored three unearned runs in the top of the sixth inning to claw back to within 4-3. After Mike Buchanan reached on an error, Sean Fitzgerald tripled after the ball got away from the left fielder Murton, who tried to make a diving catch on the play. Dustin Phillips drove in Fitzgerald with a RBI single, and Phillips scored the third run of the inning when Tech center fielder Brandon Boggs dropped a fly ball off the bat of Rusty Bennett.
Tech got a run back in the bottom of the sixth when Tyler Greene singled, took second base on a balk and scored on Georgia State third baseman Kyle Breitbach’s two-base fielding error.
A three run eighth inning, highlighted by Mike Nickeas’ sixth home run of the season, gave the Yellow Jackets an 8-3 lead. Owings singled and scored on a wild pitch with the third run of the inning. A three-run homer from Owings, his team-leading 11th of the year, made the score 11-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Georgia State starter Cody Webb (1-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits in one inning of work.
Georgia Tech returns to action when the Yellow Jackets host Savannah State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Live statistics ill be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
