March 1, 2005
ATLANTA – Freshman Matt Wieters pitched 3.2 innings of scoreless relief and Tyler Greene drove in two runs to lead No. 13 Georgia Tech (8-2) to a 9-1 win over visiting Georgia Southern (3-6) on Tuesday afternoon in the 700th win of Tech head coach Danny Hall’s career.
Hall improved his 18-year career record to 700-330, including 492 wins in 12 years at Georgia Tech and 208 wins in six years at Kent State. Hall currently ranks 12th among active coaches in winning percentage.
Wieters (1-0), held the Eagles scoreless on three hits and one walk while striking out two. He did not allow a runner to advance past second base. Also serving as Tech’s DH, he went 1-for-3 with a RBI.
Tech starter Blake Wood did not figure in the decision, working 3.1 innings and allowing one run while working on a pitch count. Freshman Tim Ladd worked two scoreless innings to close out the game.
Jeff Kindel led the Yellow Jackets with two hits. Tech had just seven hits in the game but was aided by 10 walks and five Georgia Southern errors.
Tech built a 4-1 lead through three innings, scoring two runs in both the second and third innings. Andy Hawranick had a RBI single and Michael Fisher drove in a run with a groundout in the second inning. In the third, Greene walked and scored on an error and Wieters executed a squeeze bunt.
The Yellow Jackets added three runs in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 7-1. Tech loaded the bases on a single and two walks before Greene drove in two runs with a single and Danny Payne scored a third run on an errant throw during the same play.
The Eagles’ only run of the game came in the third inning on Jason Hurst’s two-out RBI single. Hurst led Georgia Southern with two hits in four at bats.
Georgia Southern starter Dustin Evans (0-3) took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits and five walks in 4.1 innings.
The Yellow Jackets play an exhibition at the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday at 1 p.m. before opening Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend at Duke.
