May 6, 2006
ATLANTA – John Goodman pitched five solid innings in his first collegiate start and Andy Hawranick drove in two runs as No. 10 Georgia Tech (36-12) completed a three game sweep of South Florida (20-28) with a 4-2 win in game two of a doubleheader on Saturday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets won the first game of the doubleheader, 7-2, earlier Saturday, as the teams played two games in antipation of inclement weather Sunday. Tech improved to 22-2 in non-conference games.
Goodman (1-0) held the Bulls to two runs on two hits in a career-long five innings. He issued two walks and struck out four while allowing just two runners to advance past first base.
Tech’s starting rotation of Blake Wood, David Duncan and Goodman combined to work 21 innings in the three-game series and allowed just three earned runs (1.29 ERA).
In the series finale on Saturday, Goodman teamed with relievers Brad Rulon, Lee Hyde and Matt Wieters on a four-hitter. Rulon worked two hitless innings and allowed one run, Hyde pitched one-third of an inning, and Wieters recorded the final five outs of the game to earn his team-leading fifth save of the year.
Hawranick, who had two RBI in the nightcap, drove in five runs in the doubleheader. Luke Murton, Whit Robbins and Michael Fisher each had two hits.
USF starter Daniel Thomas (2-5) took the loss after allowing three runs in four-plus innings. He walked four batters and struck out six.
Hawranick staked the Yellow Jackets to a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run single. Robbins and Murton led off the inning with consecutive singles before a sacrifice bunt from Mike Trapani moved both runners into scoring position.
The Bulls tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth inning on a two-run homer from Brandin Daniel, his fourth of the year.
Tech answered in the bottom of the fourth when Robbins and Murton drew walks to start the inning and Fisher delivered a two-out RBI single to give the Yellow Jackets a 3-2 lead.
Tech extended the lead to 4-2 in the sixth inning after Robbins and Murton hit back-to-back doubles.
The Bulls mounted a rally in the seventh inning when the first two batters of the inning walked. But Tech reliever Brad Rulon worked out of the jam by getting a strikeout and a double play to end the inning.
In the eighth inning, USF mounted another rally and pulled to within 4-3. Two walks put runners on first and second bases with one out. After a groundout, Matt McHargue followed with a two-out RBI single. The Bulls had runners on first and third, but Wieters retired the next batter on a popout to get out of the jam.
Wieters pitched around a one-out ninth inning single and induced a game-ending double play to preserve the win.
Georgia Tech faces Georgia on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Turner Field before hosting Duke for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series next weekend at Russ Chandler Stadium.
