March 15, 2013
THE FLATS – No. 14 Georgia Tech scored the game’s final eight runs, and turned a 5-4 deficit in the sixth inning into a 12-5 victory over Boston College in the opener of a three-game series at Russ Chandler Stadium on Friday night. Kyle Wren had three hits and drove in three runs for the Yellow Jackets.
Wren, Zane Evans and Daniel Spingola each had three-hit nights and Brandon Thomas homered and tripled for Tech, which improved to 15-2 overall and 3-1 in the ACC. The Eagles slipped to 3-11, 0-4.
“Those two guys (Wren and Spingola) had nights where they used their legs a lot to get on base and do some good things for us,” said head coach Danny Hall. “We needed it, because Boston College got some hits off Buck when they needed them. It was a good game for us. We got challenged and I liked the way we responded.”
Senior righty Buck Farmer labored, allowing eight hits and five runs with seven strikeouts in six innings but was able to pick up his fourth win of the season (4-0). Freshman southpaw Jonathan King fired two scoreless innings of relief and junior DeAndre Smelter closed out the ninth inning in order with a pair of strikeouts.
“I thought King came in and did a tremendous job,” said Hall. “And Smelter threw the ball really well in the ninth inning.”
It was back-and-fourth early, with BC jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning, before Tech responded with a Wren RBI single in the second and a solo home run to right from Thomas in the third for the tie.
Evans followed two innings later, putting the Jackets in front for the first time when his ACC-leading seventh homer of the year – a two-run shot to center field – made it 4-2 in the fifth.
But the visitors answered right back, scoring three times in the top of the sixth and grabbing the lead again when Joe Cronin poked a two-run single through the right side for a 5-4 advantage. Cronin finished the night 3-for-4 and drove in three of BC’s five runs.
Tech countered again in the bottom of the sixth, taking the lead for good and putting Farmer in line for his 28th career victory. Spingola got the frame started with a single, and moved to third on a single by Wren. With the infield drawn in, Dove chopped the game-tying double over the head of third baseman John Hennessy and Daniel Palka’s RBI single through the left side would stand as the game-winner.
King kept the Eagles at bay in the seventh and eighth innings, rolling a pair of 4-6-3 double plays to end both frames, while the Jackets’ offense went to work building on the lead.
Spingola and Wren came through with RBIs in the seventh. In the eighth, BC reliever Steve Green got the first two outs in order, but a two-out walk to A.J. Murray triggered a four-run rally that saw nine Jackets bat in the inning. Matt Gonzalez’s RBI single scored Murray, Spingola and Wren drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks and Mott Hyde scored from third on a wild pitch to cap the scoring.
The Jackets reached the double-digit mark in runs for the 12th time in 17 games this season and are undefeated when doing so. Tech scored in double-figures just 11 times in 2012.
BC starter Eric Stevens allowed 11 hits and six runs in 5.1 innings of work and was hung the loss (0-4). Five relievers pitched behind him.
The series continues at Russ Chandler Stadium Saturday with a 4 p.m. first pitch.
