March 22, 2003
ATLANTA – Freshman Micah Owings homered and drove in four runs, and Eric Patterson added three hits and three RBI to lead No. 2 Georgia Tech (19-2, 2-0 ACC) to a 12-4 victory over visiting Maryland (5-14, 0-5) on Saturday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Yellow Jackets have won each of the first two games in the three-game weekend series with the Terrapins.
Tech starter Andrew Kown (2-0) earned the victory after holding the Terrapins to two runs on six hits in six innings. He issued two walks and struck out one batter. Relievers Aaron Walker, Jason Neighborgall and Jeff Watchko did not allow an earned run over the final three innings.
The Georgia Tech offense reached double figures in runs and hits for the second straight game against Maryland. The Yellow Jackets scored at least one run in five of their eight innings in the game, and have now scored in 12 of 16 innings in the first two games of the series.
Patterson led the Tech hit parade with three hits in four at bats, while Owings, Brandon Boggs and Mike Nickeas added two hits apiece in the 13-hit attack.
Three consecutive two out hits gave the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Jake Hall legged out a bloop double to right field before scoring on Eric Patterson’s RBI single up the middle. After Patterson move up to second base on the throw to the plate, he came around to score when Boggs beat out an infield hit to second base.
The Yellow Jackets put two runners on base in the fourth inning when Matt Murton was hit by a pitch and Nickeas singled. Micah Owings followed with a three-run home run to left field, his team-leading sixth of the season, to give Tech a 5-0 lead.
A four run outburst in the fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run single from Patterson and RBI hits from Owings and Tyler Greene, stretched the Tech lead to 9-0. After the Terrapins cut into the lead with two runs in the top of the sixth inning, the Yellow Jackets responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to make the score 12-2. Clifton Remole belted a two-run homer, his first of the season, and Murton added a RBI single in the inning.
Maryland scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning to close within 12-4, but the Terrapins could not muster any further offense off the Tech bullpen.
Maryland starter Sean Kane (0-4) took the loss, allowing nine runs on nine hits in five innings.
With the victory, the Yellow Jackets have now won 14 straight and 25 of the last 26 games played in Atlanta against Maryland.
Georgia Tech and Maryland will conclude the three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Live statistics will be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
