May 29, 2010
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Sixth-ranked Georgia Tech (45-12) scored 11 runs combined in the sixth and seventh innings, and kept its tournament hopes alive with a 17-5 win over NC State in seven innings Saturday at the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships at NewBridge Bank Park. The Jackets will face Clemson approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the Virginia-Miami game currently in progress.
The 17 runs were the most scored by a team in the ACC Championships since 2005, when then-No. 1 seed Georgia Tech defeated Florida State by an 18-2 score in Jacksonville, Fla. And they did it without the benefit of the long ball, the calling card of this year’s tournament.
Tech (1-1), seeded No. 3 in the tournament, will need a victory over the second-seeded Tigers (0-2), and a No. 7 NC State (1-1) win over No. 6 Virginia Tech (2-0) later this evening in order to advance to the tournament Championship which is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. The Jackets would have the advantage due to seeding if set in a three-way tiebreaker.
Senior Tony Plagman led the Jackets at the plate on the day, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. Sophomore Matt Skole also drove in three runs on the day.
Junior Brandon Cumpton won his third straight game on the mound, improving to 9-2 overall on the season after allowing five runs – four earned–on six hits over 6.0 innings. Cumpton struck out four batters, and issued just two walks. “He was tired and over 100 pitches, but he gutted it out for us,” Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall said.
Originally started on Friday night, heavy rain and lightning suspended play for 13 hours and 46 minutes before resuming Saturday with Tech up 2-0 in the first inning.
The Wolfpack grabbed a run back on a RBI groundout to shortstop by Andrew Ciencin that scored Kyle Wilson from third in the inning.
The Jackets used a big third inning to jump out to a 6-1 lead on NC State, scoring four runs on just one hit. Skole sent a grounder to first base that rolled under the glove of NC State’s Harold Riggins for an error to bring in two, Cole Leonida hit a sacrifice fly to right field for another, and Chase Burnette singled to right field to score Skole from third to close the scoring in the frame.
NC State countered with four runs of their own in the fourth, three on back-to-back home runs by Harold Riggins and Pratt Maynard, and one on a throwing error by Chase Burnette that scored Matt Bergquist from third to cut it to 6-5.
Tech used another four run inning, this time in the sixth, to pad a five run lead at 10-5. Jacob Esch, Jeff Rowland and Skole each had RBI singles to the outfield, while Esch scampered home on a throwing error by NC State’s Bergquist for the other tally.
The Jackets largest inning of the game came as a seven-run output in the seventh, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Plagman to right field, and a sac fly to left by Leonida that extended the lead to 10, putting into effect the tournament’s 10-run rule.
NC State’s Jake Buchanan pitched the lone inning of the game Friday, and did not return Saturday after allowing two runs on two hits in the inning. Buchanan fell to 7-4 after recording the loss.
Notes:Georgia Tech (45-12, 21-9 ACC) … …improves to 45-12 overall and 67-49 in the ACC championship. …has won more games against NC State in the championship than any other team. …scored four or more runs in three different innings. …scored 17 runs without hitting a home run. …17 runs scored are the most since the Yellow Jackets defeated Florida State, 18-2, in seven innings in 2005; Georgia Tech went on to win the championship. …got 11 of its 17 runs from the top four hitters in the lineup. …junior shortstop Derek Dietrich scored four runs without getting a base hit. …has three players drive in multiple runs. …won its 14th game of the season by 10 runs or more. …has scored 15 or more runs 11 times in 2010.
