April 15, 2006
ATLANTA – Tim Ladd pitched 5.2 innings of shutout relief and Wes Hodges homered and drove in a career-high six runs to lead No. 10 Georgia Tech 27-9, 9-8 ACC) to a 12-3 win over No. 5 Clemson (27-9, 10-4) on Saturday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets evened the three-game series with the Tigers at one win apiece.
Ladd (3-2) entered the game with two outs in the second inning and held the Tigers scoreless through the seventh inning. He allowed three hits and two walks, and struck out two batters. Tech’s bullpen of Ladd, Tim Gustafson and Matt Wieters worked 7.2 scoreless innings in the game.
Hodges went 2-for-4 with six RBI. He hit a three-run double to spark Tech’s four-run fifth inning and then hit a three-run homer in a six-run eighth inning.
Steven Blackwood went 3-for-4 and scored three runs, and Danny Payne added two hits, including a home run.
Clemson starter Jason Berken (4-3) took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks in four-plus innings.
The Yellow Jackets took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Blackwood singled, took second base when Matt Wieters drew a walk, and scored on a RBI single from Kindel.
Clemson answered with three runs in the top of the second inning to take a 3-1 lead. A single from Tyler Colvin and walks to Marquez Smith and Travis Storrer loaded the bases with one out before Stan Widmann had a two-run single and Adrian Casanova added a RBI single.
Tech erupted for four runs in the fifth inning to retake the lead, 5-3. Payne led off the inning with a solo home run, his team-leading ninth of the year. The Yellow Jackets loaded the bases on a single, a walk and a hit batter before Wes Hodges delivered a bases-clearing double to the left center field wall.
Payne extended Tech’s lead to 6-3 in the sixth inning when he walked, stole second base, took third on a groundout and scored on a passed ball.
Tech broke the game open with a six-run eighth inning, scoring all six runs after two outs and no runners on base. Payne and Blackwood singled, and Wieters followed with a two-run double. Whit Robbins had a RBI single and Hodges hit a three-run homer, his eighth of the year.
Georgia Tech and Clemson conclude the three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be televised by FSN South.
