April 4, 2003
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Micah Owings and Jeremy Slayden both hit home runs, and Mike Nickeas added three hits to lead No. 8 Georgia Tech (23-5, 4-0 ACC) to a 10-6 victory over North Carolina (21-10, 3-4) on Friday evening at Boshamer Stadium in the opener of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series. The Tar Heels committed five errors in the game that led to four unearned runs.
With score knotted at 5-5, the Yellow Jackets broke through for three runs in the top of the seventh inning to take an 8-5 lead. Nickeas started the rally with a one-out double. After Slayden was intentionally walked, Tyler Greene laced a double down the left field line to drive in both runners. Greene scored the third run of the inning after North Carolina shortstop Chad Prosser threw wildly to first base in what would have been the third out of the inning.
Tech added an insurance run in the top of the eighth, stretching the lead to 9-5, when Matt Murton singled and scored on Nickeas’ RBI base hit. A solo home run from Slayden, his third of the season and his first in over a month, gave the Yellow Jackets a 10-5 lead in the top of the ninth inning.
Carolina staged a rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, scoring one run with a RBI single from Ryan Blake to cut the lead to 10-6, but could do no further damage.
Brian Burks (2-0) earned the victory after working the final 3.2 innings of the game and allowing just one run. He allowed four hits, all singles, and did not walk a batter while striking out two batters.
North Carolina reliever Kevin Brower (2-2) took the loss, allowing three runs in 1.1 innings.
The Yellow Jackets collected 13 hits in the game, including three hits from Nickeas and two hits each from Murton, Slayden, Greene and Eric Patterson.
A two-run homer from Owings, his team-leading ninth of the season, gave the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Tar Heels got one run back with a solo home run from Jeremy Cleveland, his eighth, in the bottom of the inning.
The Tar Heels tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the third inning after Sammy Hewitt reached base with a bunt single, took second on a balk, advanced to third Mike Daniel’s single and scored on Chad Prosser’s sacrifice fly.
A solo home run from Ryan Blake, his second of the season, gave North Carolina a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. North Carolina extended the lead to 4-2 when Daniel drew a two-out walk and scored after consecutive singles from Greg Mangum and Prosser.
The Yellow Jackets scored three times in the fifth inning, thanks in part to four North Carolina errors, to take a 5-4 lead. Clifton Remole drove in two runs with a single and Eric Patterson added a RBI base hit as the Yellow Jackets scored three unearned runs in the inning. Tech loaded the bases with only one out in the sixth inning but failed to score after Brandon Boggs struck out and Murton grounded out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Hewitt reached on an error from Tech shortstop Tyler Greene and Daniel singled before a sacrifice bunt by Mangum moved the runners into scoring position with one out. Prosser drove in Hewitt with a RBI groundout before Tech reliever Brian Burks struck out Jeremy Cleveland to end the threat.
Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision. Tech’s Micah Owings surrendered five runs, four of which were earned, in 5.1 innings, while North Carolina’s Daniel Moore allowed five runs, two earned, in 5.1 innings.
Georgia Tech and North Carolina will continue the series son Saturday at 1 p.m., and the game will be televised on the ACC Regional Network (Fox Sports Net South, Sunshine and Comcast). Radio coverage is available on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta), while live statistics and the radio broadcast will be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
