Box Score ACC Tournament Recap
| Junior Jason Basil was named the ACC Tournament MVP. |
FORT MILL, SC – Junior Jason Basil had three hits, including a home run, and drove in two runs to lead third-ranked Georgia Tech to the 2000 Atlantic Coast Conference championship with a 8-4 win over sixth-ranked Clemson on Saturday night at Knights Stadium.
The victory gave the Yellow Jackets (47-14) their fifth ACC Championship, but their first since winning four consecutive titles from 1985 through 1988. Tech swept through the 2000 ACC Tournament with a perfect 5-0 record. The win marked the 300th victory for head coach Danny Hall at Georgia Tech.
“It is a great accomplishment to win the regular season championship and the tournament,” said Hall. “Everybody stepped up and we could not have played any better. I knew that it was going to be a dog fight because Clemson has a great team. I’m very proud of our guys, because they hung in there and found a way to get it done.”
With Clemson (45-16) leading 4-3 midway through the seventh inning, Georgia Tech rallied for three runs in the bottom of that inning to take a 6-4 lead. After Jason Perry led off the inning with a walk and was replaced by Wes Rynders on a fielder’s choice, the Jackets loaded the bases with one out after Richard Lewis and Brad Stockton drew back-to-back walks. Mark Teixeira drove in two runs with a double down the third base line, and Basil plated the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.
Sophomore Kevin Cameron (5-2) picked up the victory in relief of Tech starter Ben Sheeter. Sheeter worked 6.1 innings, holding the Tigers to four runs on eight hits and one walk while recording four strikeouts. Andy Mitchell picked up his team-leading fifth save of the season by tossing two scoreless innings to close out the game.
| 2000 ACC Tournament Champions! |
Clemson reliever Matt Additon (7-3) took the loss after surrendering two runs in one-third of an inning.
Tech took a 1-0 lead in the second when Bryan Prince singled and scored on a RBI groundout from Derik Goffena. Clemson answered with a RBI triple from Patrick Boyd in the top of the third to tie the score at 1-1.
Tech took a 2-1 lead in the fourth after Prince led off the inning with a double and came around to score on a RBI single from Victor Menocal. Clemson again answered with a solo home run from Boyd in the fifth to tie the score at 2-2.
The Yellow Jackets took a 3-2 lead in the sixth with a solo homer from Basil, his 13th of the season. Basil, who went 3-for-3 in the game and 8-for-8 in two games on the day, finished the week with a ACC Tournament-record 25 total bases.
Clemson responded with two runs in the top of the seventh to take a 4-3 lead before the Yellow Jackets mounted their rally in the bottom of the inning.
Basil was named the tournament’s MVP, and he was joined on the All-Tournament team by catcher Bryan Prince, outfielder Brad Stockton and pitcher Cory Vance.
Georgia Tech will next be in action at the NCAA Regionals which begin next week. The Yellow Jackets have already been selected as one of 16 host sites for a regional, and the other three teams that will come to Atlanta will be announced on Monday at 3 p.m.
