April 2, 2005
ATLANTA – Matt Wieters went 3-for-5 with four RBI and Jeremy Slayden added three hits to lead No. 1 Georgia Tech (22-5, 12-1 ACC) to a 13-8 win over Maryland (13-15, 3-10) in the opener of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference. The game was completed on Saturday afternoon after being suspended in the fifth inning on Friday night due to rain.
The Yellow Jackets won their 15th consecutive ACC home game, and improved to 28-1 in their last 29 conference games overall.
Wieters had three or more hits for the seventh time in 13 ACC games. Slayden finished 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 16 games, and Wes Hodges drove in three runs on two hits. Whit Robbins added two hits as the Yellow Jackets raced out to a 13-4 lead after four innings.
Jared Hyatt (1-0) earned the win in relief, working a career-long five innings and allowing three runs on six hits. He issued one walk and struck out four.
After the Yellow Jackets took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on two-out RBI hits from Hodges, Slayden, Wieters and Robbins, the Terrapins answered with three runs in the top of the second to make the score 4-3.
Tech scored three runs in the third, including a two-run single from Wieters and a bases-loaded walk to Steven Blackwood, to extend the lead to 7-3. The Yellow Jackets batted around for the third time in the first four innings in a six-run fourth, making the score 13-4. Hodges had a two-run double, Tyler Greene delivered a two-run single and Wieters added a RBI single as Tech sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning.
After the game was resumed on Saturday afternoon, the Terrapins scored four quick runs to cut the lead to 13-8. Maryland scored one run in the fifth inning on a bases loaded double play ground out, and then added three runs in the sixth on a two-run double from Will Frazier and a RBI single from Chad Durakis.
Tech starter Jason Neighborgall worked four innings before leaving the game after the rain delay. He allowed five runs and struck out six.
Maryland starter Chris Clem (1-4) took the loss, allowing 10 runs in three-plus innings. Reliever Brett Tidball pitched well, retiring the final 10 Tech hitters of the game.
Dan Melvin went 3-for-5 for the Terrapins, while Frazier and Bobby Ryan added two hits each.
Georgia Tech and Maryland will play game two of the series on Saturday at 7 p.m.
