April 26, 2003
CLEMSON, S.C. – Michael Johnson went 3-for-3 and Patrick Hogan scattered nine hits over eight innings to lead 20th-ranked Clemson (30-13, 7-7 ACC) to a 10-5 victory over No. 4 Georgia Tech (32-10, 11-3) on Saturday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The win was the Tigers’ second straight in the three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series, meaning that the Yellow Jackets will drop a conference series for the first time since April, 2002.
Earlier Saturday, Clemson defeated Georgia Tech, 9-7, in 10 innings in a game that was resumed after being suspended in the 8th inning on Friday night.
Hogan (2-2) earned the win for Clemson while working a career-long eight-plus innings. The right-hander scattered five runs, four of which were earned, and nine hits. He walked two and struck out eight, and he threw 135 pitches. Freshmen Robert Rohrbaugh and Jason Berken worked the ninth inning to record the final three outs in a non-save situation.
The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Russell Triplett walked and scored on a wild pitch and Johnson singled and scored on Kyle Frank’s two-out RBI single. The Yellow Jackets answered in the top of the second when Mike Nickeas doubled down the left field line and scored on Steven Blackwood’s RBI groundout to cut the lead to 2-1.
Clemson scored three runs in the fourth inning to chase Tech starter Chris Goodman from the game. Herman Demmink had a RBI double while Johnson and Brady Everett added RBI singles in the inning. A RBI single from David Slevin in the fifth inning gave the Tigers a 6-1 lead.
A solo home run from Matt Murton, his 12th of the year, pulled the Yellow Jackets to within 6-2 in the top of the sixth inning. Tech had a chance to do more damage in the inning when Clifton Remole singled and Mike Nickeas doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs, but Hogan worked out of the jam by striking out the next three hitters – Micah Owings, Blackwood and Jake Hall.
The Tigers immediately answered in the bottom of the sixth when they loaded the bases with no outs and Everett scored on a wild pitch. Clemson again loaded the bases with no outs, but Tech reliever Jason Neighborgall recorded two strikeouts and induced a pop up to escape without any further damage.
Georgia Tech scored two runs in the seventh to pull within 7-4, scoring on Murton’s RBI single and Nickeas’ sacrifice fly. The Yellow Jackets had the bases loaded with two outs and sent Owings to the plate representing the tying run, but home plate umpire Mickey Fuqua called him out on strikes on a questionable pitch that appeared to be well outside the strike zone.
Ryan Hub gave the Tigers an 8-4 lead in the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run to left field, his fourth of the season. Clemson added a pair of unearned runs in the eighth to make the score 10-4.
The Yellow Jackets added a run in the ninth on Remole’s RBI single to provide the final 10-5 margin. Remole led the Yellow Jackets with three hits, while Patterson, Murton and Nickeas each had two hits.
Goodman (6-2) took the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits in three-plus innings.
Georgia Tech and Clemson will conclude the three-game series on Sunday at 2 p.m. Radio coverage will be available on “790 The Zone” in Atlanta and WJJC-AM (1270 AM) in Commerce, while the radio broadcast and live statistics can be found on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
