ATLANTA – Catcher Bryan Prince went 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI as No. 4 Georgia Tech (14-5) rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take an 11-3 victory over host Georgia State (9-10) on March 13 at South DeKalb Field.
Tech starter Philip Perry (2-1) picked up the victory after holding the Panthers to three runs in five innings of work. He allowed eight hits and two walks while striking out four. Three Yellow Jacket pitchers – Perry, Kyle Bakker and Jeff Watchko – combined to strike out 13 Georgia State batters.
Georgia State starter Andrew Rush (1-2) took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits in four innings of work.
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Jay Fields led off the inning with a double to left field and came around to score on a RBI single from Mic Knox. A two-run homer from Josh Vandiver, his fourth of the season, made the score 3-0 in the second inning.
Tech trimmed the lead to 3-1 in the third. Matthew Boggs, who went 3-for-5, drew a walk to lead off the inning and took third base on an errant pickoff throw from Andrew Rush before coming around to score on a one-out RBI single from Prince.
Tech took a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning on a three-run home run by freshman Matt Murton, the first of his career. Back-to-back singles from Jason Perry, who went 2-for-3, and Jason Basil to open the inning set the table for Murton’s blast. A two-run homer from Perry, his fourth of the year, made the score 6-3 in the fifth inning.
The Yellow Jackets seized control of the game with four more runs in the top of the sixth to make the score 10-3. Tech loaded the bases when Wes Rynders and Matthew Boggs each singled and Richard Lewis was hit by a pitch. Prince drove in Rynders and Boggs with a double, while Lewis scored on a wild pitch and Prince came around on a balk. A RBI double from Prince scored Victor Menocal and made the score 11-3 in the top of the seventh inning.
Georgia Tech will host Kent in a three-game weekend series at Russ Chandler Stadium beginning Friday at 7 p.m. The series will continue on Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. each day.
