March 5, 2005
DURHAM, N.C. – Lee Hyde pitched six shutout innings and Georgia Tech withstood a late Duke rally as the 13th-ranked Yellow Jackets (10-2, 2-0 ACC) defeated the Blue Devils (6-10, 0-2), 11-5, on Saturday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field.
The Yellow Jackets won their school-record 18th straight ACC contest dating back to the 2004 season. Tech’s 18-straight league wins ranks as the third longest streak in ACC history, three wins short of the conference record.
Hyde (2-0) worked six innings, holding the Blue Devils scoreless on three hits and three walks while striking out seven. The sophomore southpaw did not allow a runner to advance past second base.
Jordan Crews earned his first save of the year by recording the final four outs of the game. Crews entered the game in the bottom of the eighth with two runners on base and Tech leading, 8-5. He worked out of that jam and pitched a scoreless ninth to preserve the victory.
Matt Wieters had four hits and Mike Trapani added three hits as the Yellow Jackets outhit the Blue Devils, 17-10. Danny Payne, Tyler Greene, Wes Hodges and Andy Hawranick had two hits apiece.
The Yellow Jackets built a 4-0 lead through the first three innings, scoring two runs in both the second and third innings. A walk to Wieters and a double from Jeff Kindel put runners on second and third in the second inning, before Whit Robbins drove in a run with a groundout and Kindel scored on a passed ball. Hodges and Hawranick added RBI singles in the third inning.
A pair of RBI doubles from Hodges and Greene made the score 6-0 in the sixth inning. The Yellow Jackets made the score 8-0 in the seventh when Hawranick singled and scored on two wild pitches and Jeremy Slayden added a RBI single.
The Blue Devils broke through against Wieters, who relieved Hyde in the seventh, with a three-run homer from Eric Baumann, his third of the year, to make the score 8-3. Duke added two more runs in the eighth inning on RBI singles from Adam Murray and Senterrio Landrum to pull within 8-5.
Tech added three insurance runs in the top of the ninth to make the score 11-5. Wieters had a RBI single, Slayden had a sacrifice fly and Payne scored on a passed ball.
Duke starter David Torcise (1-3) took the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings.
Adam Murray led the Blue Devils with a 4-for-5 performance.
Georgia Tech and Duke will conclude the three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
