March 4, 2006
ATLANTA – Whit Robbins, Danny Payne and Wally Crancer hit home runs, and Lee Hyde pitched seven strong innings to lead No. 1 Georgia Tech (12-0) to a 12-2 win over visiting Rutgers (3-4) on Saturday at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Georgia Tech’s 12-0 start is the third best in school history, trailing only a 17-0 mark in 2003 and a 16-0 start in 1987. The Yellow Jackets current 12-game winning streak is the longest in the nation.
Hyde (2-0) worked seven innings and held the Scarlet Knights to one run on just two hits. He issued three walks and struck out six, and allowed just three runners to advance past first base. In two home starts in 2006, Hyde has pitched 14 innings and allowed just one run.
Payne paced the Tech offense with two hits and three RBI. Wes Hodges and Mike Trapani each had two hits, while Hodges, Robbins and Crancer each had two RBI.
Tech took a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a RBI single from Hodges and a two-run homer from Robbins, his third of the year. A RBI double from Hodges made the score 4-0 in the second inning.
Wally Crancer hit a two-run home run, his first of the season, to give the Yellow Jackets a 6-0 lead in the third inning.
Rutgers got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning when Mike Bionde doubled and scored on a wild pitch, but Danny Payne hit a two-run homer, his second of the year, to make the score 8-1 in the bottom of the inning.
The Yellow Jackets added four runs in the fifth inning, including RBI singles from Mike Trapani and Danny Payne, to extend the lead to 12-1. Steve Hook drew a bases loaded walk off Tech reliever David Duncan to make the score 12-2 in the eighth inning.
Rutgers starter Matt Gianini (0-2) was charged with the loss after allowing 10 runs on eight hits in four-plus innings of work.
The Yellow Jackets outscored the Scarlet Knights, 37-10, in the first two games of the series. Georgia Tech and Rutgers will conclude the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
