April 21, 2006
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Danny Payne hit a grand slam and Steven Blackwood had a three-run double that broke an 8-8 tie as No. Georgia Tech (30-9, 11-8 ACC) rallied past No. 5 Florida State (33-8, 13-6), 15-8, in the opener of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series on Friday night at Dick Howser Stadium.
Georgia Tech won its sixth straight game over Florida State. The Yellow Jackets extended their win streak to four games, scoring 62 runs in that stretch.
Payne went 2-for-5 with his team-leading 11th home run of the year and drove in five runs. Matt Wieters and Mike Trapani each had three hits. Whit Robbins went 2-for-2 and scored three runs.
Florida State’s pitchers issued 11 walks and hit four batters.
Brad Rulon (3-0), one of five Georgia Tech pitchers in the game, earned the win in relief by working 1.2 scoreless innings.
Lee Hyde earned his first save of the year by working 2.1 scoreless innings to close out the game. Tech’s bullpen worked five innings and allowed just two runs, and Yellow Jacket pitchers struck out 14 batters in the game.
Florida State reliever Brian Chambers (0-2) allowed three runs on 0.2 innings. The Seminoles allowed a season-high 15 runs.
Shane Robinson, Jack Rye and Josh Spivey each had two hits in the game for the Seminoles.
The Seminoles built a 6-0 lead through the first four innings, scoring two runs in the first and third innings and one run in the second and fourth.
Robinson and Rye led off the first inning with singles. Robinson scored when Tech’s Wes Hodges misplayed a ball at third base, and Rye scored from third base when Dennis Guinn was thrown out trying to steal second base.
In the second inning, Tony Thomas singled, took third on a double from Josh Spivey and scored on a wild pitch. Buster Posey and Thomas drew consecutive two-out walks in the third inning and scored on back-to-back RBI singles from Josh Spivey and Mark Gildea. Jack Rye doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly from Dennis Guinn to make the score 6-0 after four innings.
The Yellow Jackets erupted for eight runs in the fifth inning, tying a season high, to take an 8-6 lead. Tech sent 13 batters to the plate and had just four hits, including Payne’s grand slam, but the Jackets were aided by five walks and a hit batter.
A single and two walks loaded the bases with no outs and Michael Fisher was hit by a pitch to score the first run of the inning before Payne followed with his grand slam over the right field fence. The Yellow Jackets loaded the bases again with a single and two walks, and Luke Murton drew a walk to force in a run while Trapani delivered a two-out, two-run single to cap the inning.
The Seminoles scored two runs in the sixth inning to tie the game, 8-8. Robinson singled and Rye walked to lead off the inning, and the two runners advanced on a double steal. Dennis Guinn followed with a RBI single, and after a hit batter loaded the bases with no outs, Buster Posey grounded into a double play that plated the tying run.
Tech answered with a three-run seventh inning to take an 11-8 lead. The Yellow Jackets loaded the bases with a single, hit batter and walk before Blackwood laced a two-out, three run double to left-center field to give Tech a three-run lead.
The Yellow Jackets added two runs in the eighth inning to extend the lead to 13-8. Robbins walked and Trapani singled before Fisher and Payne delivered consecutive two-out RBI singles.
Tech added two unearned runs in the top of the ninth inning to provide the final 15-8 margin.
Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision. Tech’s Blake Wood allowed five earned runs in four innings and struck out seven. FSU’s Bryan Henry worked four-plus innings and allowed five runs.
Georgia Tech and Florida State will continue the series on Saturday at 7 p.m. Jared Hyatt will start for the Yellow Jackets, while the Seminoles will counter with Tyler Chambliss.
