ATLANTA – Second baseman Richard Lewis went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Kevin Cameron tossed six strong innings to lead top-ranked Georgia Tech (12-2) to a 13-1 victory over No. 25 Rutgers (7-2) on Sunday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Cameron (2-0) went six innings and held the Scarlet Knights to just one unearned run on five hits and one walk while striking out four batters. He ran his streak to 13 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. Tech relievers Kyle Bakker, Andy Mitchell and Jeff Watchko each tossed a scoreless inning to close out the game.
Rutgers starter Tom Wheeler (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits and three walks in 2.2 innings.
Tech scratched the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. Lewis drew a two-out walk, stole second base and came around to score on a RBI single from Bryan Prince, while a RBI single from Jason Perry plated Prince.
Rutgers cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the third after Leon Shade reached on an error and scored on a RBI groundout from Brian Ciemniecki.
The Yellow Jackets immediately answered with three more runs in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 5-1. A two-out double from Derik Goffena drove in Prince and Jason Basil, while Goffena came around to score when Matthew Boggs was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Boggs, who was hit twice in the game, became Tech’s all-time leader in times hit by pitch with 36.
Tech put the game away with an eight-run fourth inning when the Yellow Jackets sent 13 men to the plate. The inning was highlighted by a two-run homer from Prince, his fourth of the season, a two-run double from Lewis and a two-run single from Victor Menocal. Menocal’s hit extended his hitting streak to 20 games dating back to the 2000 season.
Lewis led the Tech offense with three hits, while Prince and Basil added two hits apiece. Boggs, who did not have an official at bat, did reach base in all four of his plate appearances with two walks and two times hit by pitch. All nine Tech starters scored at least one run in the game.
Georgia Tech will next visit No. 7 Auburn on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (EST) at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala. The game will be broadcast on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta) and on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
