May 15, 2003
ATLANTA – Freshman Micah Owings pitched six strong innings and Matt Murton drove in two runs to lead No. 10 Georgia Tech (38-14, 16-6 ACC) to an 8-3 win over visiting NC State (38-13, 14-8) on Thursday night at Russ Chandler Stadium in the opener of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series. The Yellow Jackets moved within a half game of first place Florida State (16-5) in the league standings as the Seminoles’ game at Duke on Friday night was rained out.
Owings (8-2) earned the win with six solid innings before being removed following a one hour and 27 minute rain delay prior to the top of he seventh inning. Owings held the Wolfpack to one run on four hits and one walk while striking out five batters.
NC State starter Michael Rogers (10-3) took the loss, allowing seven runs on 11 hits in six innings.
Georgia Tech out hit NC State, 12-8, including two hits apiece from Eric Patterson, Steven Blackwood, Mike Nickeas and Tyler Greene. Matt Camp went 3-for-4 in the game for the Wolfpack.
The Yellow Jackets took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Matt Murton grounded into a double play following consecutive singles from Eric Patterson and Steven Blackwood. Tech added two more runs in the third inning to extend the lead to 3-0. Consecutive singles from Tyler Greene and Jake Hall opened the inning and began the rally before Patterson followed with a RBI single and Murton added a RBI groundout.
A solo home run from David Hicks, his third of the season, pulled the Wolfpack within 3-1 in the top of the fourth inning.
Tech scored three runs in the fifth inning, all coming with two outs, to open up a 6-1 lead. Jake Hall was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, but Rogers quickly retired the next two batters. After Hall moved up two bases on a passed ball and wild pitch, four consecutive Tech batters singled – Murton, Remole, Mike Nickeas and Jerey Slayden – to do the damage. Murton, Nickeas and Slayden each had RBI in the inning. The Yellow Jackets made the score 7-1 in the sixth inning after Greene reached on a bunt single and scored on Steven Blackwood’s RBI single up the middle past a drawn in infield.
Following the rain delay, the Yellow Jackets added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh when Greene was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make the score 8-1.
NC State mounted a rally in the top of the eighth inning, scoring two runs to make the score 8-3. The inning started with back to back walks to Marc Maynor and Jeremy Dutton before Colt Morton and Matt Camp each delivered RBI singles. The Wolfpack had a chance to close the gap even more when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Tech reliever Jeff Watchko struck out Chad Orvella to work out of the jam.
Georgia Tech and NC State will continue the three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Radio coverage will be available on 790 The Zone (790 AM in Atlanta), while live statistics and the radio broadcast will be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
