March 30, 2003
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami and Georgia Tech combined for 33 runs, 25 hits, 23 walks and seven errors in seven and a half innings as the 13th-ranked Hurricanes (23-4) defeated the second-ranked Yellow Jackets (21-5), 17-16, in a rain-shortened game on Sunday afternoon at Mark Light Stadium. The win completed Miami’s three-game sweep of Georgia Tech in the weekend series.
With the score tied at 15-15 after five and a half innings, the Hurricanes broke through for two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 17-15 lead. Brian Barton led off the inning with a walk and hustled to second base on the play after a wild pitch. Gaby Sanchez followed with a walk, and a sacrifice bunt from Jim Burt moved both runners into scoring position with only one out. Barton scored on a wild pitch and Sanchez scored on Adam Ricks sacrifice fly.
The Yellow Jackets closed to within 17-16 in the top of the seventh when Mike Trapani reached on an error and scored on Matt Murton’s RBI single. Tech failed to score in the eighth inning, its only inning without a run in the game, and the contest was called due to rain and travel concerns.
Ryan Braun led the Miami offense with three hits, including a home run, and five RBI, while Burt added three hits, including a home run, and three RBI. Matt Murton paced Georgia Tech with four hits and four RBI.
After the Yellow Jackets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Hurricanes answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Tech immediately answered with a nine-run second inning, where the Yellow Jackets sent 13 batters to the plate en route to taking a 10-4 lead. The inning was highlighted by a two-run double from Tyler Greene and a two-run single from Matt Murton.
Miami answered with three runs in the bottom of the second inning to cut the lead to 10-7, including RBI singles from Ryan Braun, Jim Burt and Erick San Pedro. After a RBI double from Murton gave the Yellow Jackets an 11-7 lead in the top of the third inning, the Hurricanes stormed back with seven runs in the bottom of the inning, including home runs from Braun, Burt and Gaby Sanchez, to take a 14-11 lead.
A RBI single from Tech’s Brandon Boggs cut the lead to 14-12 in the top of the fourth inning, but Miami answered with a RBI double from Burt to make the score 15-12 in the bottom of the inning. Tech again cut into the lead with a RBI single from Steven Blackwood, making the score 15-13 in the top of the fifth inning.
The Yellow Jackets tied the game at 15-15 with two runs in the top of the sixth inning. Redshirt freshman Mike Trapani led off the inning with a solo home run, his first career hit, and Murton drew a two-out walk and eventually scored on a wild pitch later in the inning.
Miami’s Shawn Valdes-Fauli (2-0) earned the win in relief after working 2.1 innings and allowing one run. Tech reliever Kyle Schmidt (2-1) took the loss, surrendering two runs despite not allowing a hit in one inning of work. Eleven different pitchers were used in the game by the two teams.
Both starting pitchers were chased from the game in the second inning. Tech’s Brian Burks surrendered seven runs on eight hits in 1.2 innings, while Miami’s Brandon Camardese lasted just one-plus inning and allowed eight runs.
The final three innings of the game were played in a steady light rain.
Georgia Tech takes the week off before returning to action next weekend for a three-game series at North Carolina. The series begins on Friday at 7 p.m., and continues on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.. Radio coverage is available on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta), while live statistics and the radio broadcast will be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
