April 18, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – A two-run double by A.J. Casario highlighted a four-run eighth inning for Maryland (23-17, 6-13 ACC) as the Terrapins knocked off No. 21 Georgia Tech (27-11, 9-10 ACC), 7-5, Friday night at Shipley Field.
Back-to-back run-scoring singles from Will Greenberg and Nick Jowers tied the game at 5-5 in the eighth inning before Casario plated the two Terrapins with an opposite-field double to put Maryland up by two.
Dan Gentzler (1-0) faced two Yellow Jackets – one to end the eighth and the other to begin the ninth – and struck out both batters to earn his first win of the season before Brett Tidball closed out the game by forcing a pair of fly outs to pick up his second save.
The Jackets had taken the lead in the top of the eighth inning on a two-run home run by Brad Feltes, his ninth of the season. The Yellow Jacket senior also drove in Tech’s first run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to pull Tech to within 3-1 after Maryland scored three runs in the second inning off Tech starter David Duncan. Thomas Nichols followed Feltes’ sacrifice fly with a run-scoring double to pull within one run of the Terrapins before Maryland starter Scott Swinson forced Chris House to ground out to end the threat.
A solo home run by Luke Murton, his seventh of the season, tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning. Murton went 2-for-4 with a double and home run to lead the Tech offense on the night.
Neither starting pitcher figured into the decision. Duncan limited Maryland to four runs on nine hits while striking out three in seven innings, while Swinson went 7.2 innings and gave up five runs on nine hits. Yellow Jacket reliever Andrew Robinson (2-2) suffered his second loss of the year by giving up three runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits in the eighth inning.
The Jackets and Terrapins continue the series Saturday at 4 p.m. Redshirt junior Eddie Burns is slated to take the mound for Georgia Tech, and Maryland will counter with right-hander Brett Jones. The game can be heard on WREK Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta/www.wrek.org) while live stats will be available on Ramblinwreck.com.
–GT–
