April 12, 2003
DURHAM, N.C.–Matt Murton homered in both games while Micah Owings and Kyle Bakker combined to pitch 14 shutout innings to lead fifth-ranked Georgia Tech (27-6, 7-1 ACC) to doubleheader sweep of Duke (13-21, 0-10), 9-1 and 11-1, on Saturday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field.
Owings worked eight shutout innings in game one, and Bakker went six innings in game two, while the Tech pitching staff held the Blue Devils to just two runs and one extra base hit in the two games.
Murton had two home runs, a double and five RBI in the two games. The Yellow Jackets combined for 32 hits in the doubleheader, including a season-high 19 hits in game two.
In game one, Owings improved to 5-1 after pitching eight shutout innings. He allowed seven hits and did not walk a batter while striking out two, and he allowed just four runners to advance past first base. The freshman faced just seven batters over the minimum, and he retired 18 of 21 batters from the second through the seventh inning.
Duke starter Tim Layden (0-4) took the loss in game one, allowing five runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings.
The Yellow Jackets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning without the aid of a hit as Brandon Boggs drew a walk to lead off the game, stole second and third bases, and scored on a wild pitch. Jake Hall gave Tech a 2-0 lead in the second inning when he legged out an infield single with two outs, took second base on a balk and scored on Boggs’ RBI single down the right field line. Jeremy Slayden singled and scored on Clifton Remole’s RBI groundout to make the score 3-0 in the third inning.
Tech extended its lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning when Slayden walked and scored on Remole’s double play ground out with the bases loaded and Tyler Greene drove in Mike Nickeas with a two-out RBI single.
A three-run homer from Murton, his 10th of the season, extended Tech’s lead to 8-0 in the top of the sixth inning. The Yellow Jackets loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth inning and scored on Mike Trapani’s sacrifice fly, making the score 9-0.
Duke broke up the shutout in the bottom of the ninth inning when Grant Stanley walked and scored against Tech reliever Jason Neighborgall.
Remole, who had hits in both games to extend his career-long hitting streak to 14 games, led a 13-hit Georgia Tech offensive attack with a 3-for-5 effort. Boggs and Slayden added two hits apiece, and the Yellow Jackets were nine walks from Blue Devil pitching. Duke’s Javier Socorro went 3-for-4 in a losing effort.
IN GAME TWO, Murton staked Tech to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning with his 11th home run of the season and second of the day. The Yellow Jackets exploded for five runs in the fourth inning to take a 6-0 lead. Micah Owings drove in two runs with a triple after a 12-pitch at bat, while Andy Hawranick added a sacrifice fly and Murton drilled a RBI double off the left field wall. A RBI single from Hawranick gave the Yellow Jackets a 7-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning.
Slayden belted a three-run home run, his fourth of the year, to extend the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 10-0 in the sixth inning. Steven Blackwood’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning made the score 11-0.
Murton and Tyler Greene led the Tech offense in game two with three hits apiece, while Hawranick, Owings, Nickeas and Slayden added two hits each.
Bakker (6-0) earned the win in game two, working six shutout innings and allowing six hits, all singles. He issued two walks and struck out six batters in running his current win streak to 10 straight decisions dating back to the 2002 season and raising his career record to 23-3.
Duke’s Troy Caradonna broke up the shutout in game two with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Jeff Alleva (2-5) took the loss after allowing seven runs on 14 hits in 4.2 innings.
Georgia Tech and Duke will conclude the three-game series on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Radio coverage will be available on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta), while live statistics and radio coverage will be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
