May 22, 2004
ABERDEEN, Md. – Steven Blackwood drove in three runs on four hits and Andrew Kown pitched six scoreless innings to lead No. 10 Georgia Tech (37-17, 17-5 ACC) to a 15-1 win over Maryland (21-31, 4-19) on Saturday night at Ripken Stadium. The Yellow Jackets won their 16th straight game, the longest current streak in the nation, including a school-record 15 straight wins in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Georgia Tech can clinch the ACC regular season championship with a win over Maryland on Sunday afternoon in the series finale. Virginia (18-6 ACC) has already completed its regular season schedule, and the Cavaliers currently stand in second place by percentage points but would win the regular season title with a Tech loss to Maryland on Sunday.
All other regular season ACC action was completed on Saturday. Florida State (16-8) will be the #3 seed at next week’s ACC Tournament and will face #6 seed NC State (11-12) in Wednesday’s quarterfinals, and #4 seed Clemson (14-10) will play #5 seed North Carolina (14-10). Duke (8-16) will be the #7 seed and will face either Virginia or Georgia Tech in the first round, while Maryland (4-19) and Wake Forest (4-20) will play in the #8/#9-seed first round on Tuesday night.
Kown (9-1) worked six shutout innings, allowing just four hits and no walks while striking out five. He faced four batters over the minimum and left the game after throwing just 81 pitches in preparation for next week’s ACC Tournament. Kown improved to 8-0 in his last 12 starts, including a 5-0 mark in his last six starts with wins over Washington, Florida State, NC State, Clemson and Maryland.
Tech’s 15 runs and 19 hits were a season-high against an ACC opponent. Blackwood paced the Tech offense with a 4-for-6 performance. Brandon Boggs went 3-for-4 with three RBI, and Mike Trapani and Clifton Remole each went 3-for-5. The Yellow Jackets played their 23rd errorless game of the season.
Eric Patterson had two hits and stole two bases, raising his career stolen base total to 119. The junior is eight stolen bases shy of the Georgia Tech and ACC career record of 127, held by former Yellow Jacket Ty Griffin. Patterson’s season total of 43 thefts is seven shy of the Tech single season record of 50, set by Griffin in 1986.
Georgia Tech struck for a 4-0 lead in the third inning. Trapani reached on an error and Patterson legged out an infield single before Steven Blackwood laced a double to right center field that scored both runners. Blackwood scored on Boggs’ two-out, RBI double, and Boggs scored the final run of the inning on a double steal attempt when Remole got caught in a rundown between first and second bases.
The Yellow Jackets added three more runs, all with two outs, in the top of the fifth inning to extend the lead to 7-0. Blackwood singled and Micah Owings was hit by a pitch, and Boggs followed with a RBI single. Remole singled to drive in Owings, and Boggs scored the third run of the inning when Maryland center fielder Brian Jarosinski misplayed the ball.
A two-out, two-run single from Tyler Greene and a RBI double from Blackwood gave the Yellow Jackets a 10-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Mike Trapani added a two-out RBI single in the seventh to make the score 11-0.
Jarosinski singled and scored on Bobby Ryan’s RBI groundout to get the Terrapins on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh inning, 11-1.
Tech added three runs in the top of the eighth on a RBI double from Boggs and a pinch-hit two-run single from Jake Hall to make the score 14-1. Trapani added a solo home run, his third of the year and second in as many games, in the top of the ninth inning.
Maryland starter Chris Clem (2-7) took the loss, allowing 10 runs on 12 hits in six innings. The Terrapins’ Will Frazier and Dan Melvin each had two hits in the loss.
Georgia Tech and Maryland will conclude the three-game series at Ripken Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the final regular season game for both teams.
