Feb. 27, 2007
ATLANTA – Greg Holland entered in the eighth inning to halt the Yellow Jackets’ comeback bid and help Western Carolina (5-2) to a 10-7 win over No. 14 Georgia Tech (6-5) Tuesday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Georgia Tech scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Catamounts’ nine-run lead through the first 4.5 innings as the Jackets dropped their first game in the last four contests.
The Yellow Jacket offense was led by Danny Payne, who went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI, while Michael Fisher, Matt Wieters and Patrick Long added two hits apiece.
The Catamounts scored at least one run in each of the first five innings before freshman reliever Zach Von Tersch held the visitors off the scoreboard in the sixth.
With a solo home run in the first inning, Jonathan Greene started the Western Carolina offense, before a pair of RBI doubles, an RBI single and an error by the Jackets gave the Catamounts a 5-0 lead at the end of two innings.
Western Carolina added a run in the third on a fielder’s choice and another in the fourth inning when Greene hit a two-out double to center field. A solo home run by Blake Murphy and an RBI single by Brent Greer in the fifth inning pushed the score to 9-0 before the Yellow Jackets scored a run in the bottom of the frame.
With two outs, Payne singled and stole second base before scoring on an RBI single by Fisher. A single by Wieters put runners on first and second, but reliever Chris Masters struck out Wally Crancer to end the Yellow Jackets’ threat.
After Western Carolina tacked on a run in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI single by Donnie Wilson, the Jackets scored six runs in the bottom of the frame to pull within three runs, 10-7. Crancer reached base on an error by third baseman Nick Liles to lead off the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. After Luke Murton walked, an RBI single by Long plated Crancer before a walk issued to Nick Scherer loaded the bases for Brad Feltes. The Yellow Jacket third baseman then drove in Murton with a single to left field before Payne plated Scherer and Long with a single through the left side of the infield. A walk by Fisher loaded the bases for Wieters, who delivered an 0-2 pitch through the right side of the infield to score Feltes, before an RBI groundout by Crancer scored Payne for the final run of the inning.
Chris Masters (1-0) earned the win in relief of Johnson, tossing 2.1 hitless and scoring innings while striking out four Yellow Jackets. Holland pitched the final 1.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out two.
Georgia Tech starter Eddie Burns (0-1) took the loss, giving up seven runs, only three of which were earned, on eight hits while striking out one in four innings of work.
The Yellow Jackets will hit the road for an exhibition game against the Atlanta Braves Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. at their spring training facility in Orlando, Fla. before returning to Atlanta for a three-game series with Rutgers beginning Friday at 4 p.m. Saturday’s game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. while the game Sunday has been moved to 12 p.m. due to the start of the men’s basketball game against Boston College at 3 p.m. All three baseball games this weekend will be featured on ACC Select (gatech.playonsports.tv), the premier live online video service of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
