March 15, 2003
ATLANTA – Aaron Walker and Andrew Kown combined on a six-hitter as top-ranked Georgia Tech (17-0) defeated Kent State (6-5), 4-1, on Saturday afternoon to establish a new school record for the most consecutive wins to open a season.
The Yellow Jackets’ 17th straight win to open 2003 set a new record for the best start in school history, eclipsing the previous record of a 16-0 start in 1987. Tech’s current 17-game winning streak is the third longest in school history, just three games off the overall school record of 20 straight wins in 1990.
Walker (2-0) earned the win in his first career start after holding the Golden Flashes to one run on five hits in 5.1 innings. He issued two walks and struck out five batters. Kown worked 3.2 scoreless innings to close out the game, allowing just one base runner over that stretch.
Kent State starter Matt Lorenzo (3-1) took the loss, surrendering four runs in 5.1 innings.
Kent State’s Adam Crowder doubled and scored on Eric Holick’s RBI single to give the Golden Flashes a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. The Yellow Jackets scored a pair of unearned runs in the fourth to make the score 2-1. Jeremy Slayden reached on an error from Kent State right fielder Eric Holick and Matt Murton singled. After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Clifton Remole drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly before Mike Nickeas plated the second run of the inning with a two-out single up the middle.
Trailing 2-1, Kent State mounted a rally in the top of the sixth and put runners on second and third with only one out. But Kown came out of the Tech bullpen to induce a popup and a groundout to work out of the jam and preserve the lead. The Yellow Jackets immediately added two more runs in the bottom of that inning to make the score 4-1. A pair of walks put runners on first and second bases before Tyler Greene delivered a RBI single through the left side and Micah Owings hit a RBI double down the third base line.
Georgia Tech and Kent State will conclude the three game series on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Live statistics will be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
