April 9, 2006
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Matt Wieters homered and had seven RBI and Wes Hodges and Jeff Kindel added home runs to lead No. 9 Georgia Tech (24-8, 7-7 ACC) to a 17-11 win over Virginia Tech (13-18, 2-12) in game one of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at English Field.
The Yellow Jackets, who rallied from an early 5-1 deficit, evened the three game series at one win apiece. The two teams will play the final game of the series later Sunday afternoon.
Wieters finished 3-for-6 with a career-high seven RBI. Mike Trapani went 3-for-4 with four runs scored, while Luke Murton, Danny Payne, Steven Blackwood and Michael Fisher added two hits each. Kindel was just 1-for-2 but drew four walks in the game.
Tech reliever Ryan Turner (3-1) was credited with the win after working three innings and allowing five runs. Chris Hicks pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to close out the game.
Jose Rojas and Matt Hacker hit home runs in the loss for the Hokies.
The Yellow Jackets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Payne led off the game with a triple and scored on a RBI single from Trapani. The Hokies answered in the bottom of the inning as Warren Schaeffer walked, took third base on a double by Sean O’Brien and scored on Bryan Thomas’ sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1.
The Hokies scored four runs in the second inning to take a 5-1 lead. Hacker led off the inning with a solo home run, his second of the year. Luke Padgett singled and Rojas walked before Sean Ryan legged out a bunt single and Padgett scored when Georgia Tech pitcher Lee Hyde made a wild throw to first base. Schaeffer and O’Brien followed with back-to-back sacrifice flies to score the final two runs of the inning.
Georgia Tech answered with three runs in the third inning to pull within 5-4. Payne and Trapani led off with consecutive singles and Wieters cashed in with a three-run homer to right field, his fourth of the season.
Wieters struck again in the fourth inning, delivering a two-out, two-run single to give the Yellow Jackets a 6-5 lead. A one-out single from Fisher and two-out walks to Trapani and Kindel loaded the bases and chased Virginia Tech starter Evan Frederickson from the game. Wieters jumped on the first pitch he saw from reliever Rhett Ballard to give the Yellow Jackets the lead.
Georgia Tech added a run in the fifth inning to make the score 7-5. Luke Murton walked and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Michael Fisher. The Hokies answered in the bottom of the inning when Thomas singled and scored on a RBI hit from Sheldon Adams to pull within 7-6.
The Yellow Jackets broke the game open with an eight-run sixth inning, making the score 15-6. Georgia Tech sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning, highlighted by a three-run homer from Wes Hodges, his seventh of the year. Wieters and Andy Hawranick added a pair of two-run singles.
Two Virginia Tech errors led to an unearned run in the seventh inning as Georgia Tech extended the lead to 16-6.
Kindel hit a solo home run, his fifth of the season, to make the score 17-6 in the eighth inning.
The Hokies batted around and rallied for five runs in the eighth inning to pull within 17-11. Rojas hit a three-run homer, his fifth of the season, and Padgett and Thomas added RBI singles. The Hokies loaded the bases with two outs, but Hicks retired Hacker on a fly out to end the inning.
Virginia Tech starter Evan Frederickson (0-2) allowed six runs in 3.2 innings and took the loss. Georgia Tech starter Lee Hyde lasted 4.2 innings and allowed six runs.
