April 19, 2006
ATLANTA – Danny Payne homered and drove in three runs and Whit Robbins had three hits to lead No. 8 Georgia Tech (29-9) to a 13-2 win over Georgia State (18-19) on Wednesday night at The Field in Panthersville.
Payne went 3-for-6 with a home run, his sixth in the last 10 games, and extended hit hitting streak to a season-long 11 games. Payne also pitched a scoreless ninth inning and struck out the side to close out the game.
Robbins was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, while Mike Trapani and Luke Murton added two hits each. Georgia Tech outhit Georgia State, 18-8.
The Yellow Jackets reached double figure runs for the third straight game, scoring 47 runs in that stretch.
Brad Rulon (2-0) picked up the win in relief, working 1.1 shutout innings. Ryan Turner and John Goodman each worked a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.
Georgia State reliever Clayton Shunick (3-4), one of six Panther pitchers in the game, took the loss.
The Yellow Jackets took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Robbins doubled with two outs and scored on a RBI single form Trapani. Georgia State tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the inning when Jean-Michel Rochon-Salvas singled and scored on a RBI single from Wesley Wilson.
Payne gave Tech a 2-1 lead in top of the fifth inning with a solo home run, his team-leading 10th of the year.
The Panthers tied the score at 2-2 with an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Chase Childers reached on an error by Tech shortstop Michael Fisher and scored on a two-out RBI double from Charlie Pelt.
Georgia Tech scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 4-2 lead. Robbins led off the inning with a double and scored on Trapani’s RBI single. The Yellow Jackets scored the second run of the inning on a two-out double steal by Fisher, who scored from third base, and Payne, who stole second base.
The Yellow Jackets broke the game open with a six-run seventh inning, extending the lead to 10-2. Tech sent 10 batters to the plate, including a two-run double from Payne and RBI singles from Steven Blackwood and Wally Crancer.
Tech added two runs in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly from Brad Feltes and a RBI single from Russell Harben to extend the lead to 12-2. Murton had a RBI double in the ninth inning to make the score 13-2.
Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision. Tech freshman Chris Hicks worked a season-long 4.1 innings in his first start of the year and allowed one earned run on six hits. Georgia State’s Bobby Bennett worked 4.1 innings and allowed two runs.
Georgia Tech visits Florida State for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
