March 4, 2007
ATLANTA – Tim Querns drove in four runs over the last two innings to lead Rutgers to an 9-5 win over No. 14 Georgia Tech Sunday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium, as the Scarlet Knights avoid the series sweep after the Yellow Jackets won the first two games, 18-12 and 10-8.
Querns drove in two runs with a two-out single in the seventh inning before hitting his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the ninth inning for a pair of go-ahead runs. The senior finished the game 3-for-5 with a run scored and five RBI.
Danny Payne, Matt Wieters and Patrick Long all collected two hits for the Jackets, and Tech as a team had 37 total hits in the series against the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers starter Steve Healing (1-1) earned his first win of the year, giving up five runs on nine hits while striking out five in six innings of work. Tim Spicer picked up his first save of the season by holding the Jackets hitless and scoreless over the last three innings of the game.
David Williams doubled to lead off the second inning, moved to third on a groundout by Querns and scored on an RBI groundout by Jon Gossard to give the Scarlet Knights a 1-0 lead. The Jackets tied the game in the bottom of the frame when Long singled, stole second and third bases, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brad Feltes.
Rutgers regained the lead, 2-1, in the third inning after Todd Frazier singled, advanced to third on a single by Mike Bionde, and scored on a single by Querns.
Payne led off the bottom of the third with a single, stole second base, moved to third on a groundout by Michael Fisher and scored on a single by Wieters to tie the game at 2-2. A single by Wally Crancer moved Wieters to second before Luke Murton walked to load the bases for Long, who singled through the left side to plate Wieters for the second run of the inning. Chris House reached on a fielder’s choice which scored Crancer and capped the Jackets’ scoring in the inning with Tech leading 4-2.
The Scarlet Knights narrowed the Jackets’ lead to one run in the fifth inning when, with runners on first and third, Tech starter Ryan Turner threw the ball away trying to pick off Williams, who was on first base, meanwhile scoring Ryan Hill, the runner at third.
Bionde reached on a fielder’s choice in the top of the seventh inning before Hill hit a two-out single to centerfield to chase Turner. A single by Williams off reliever Eddie Burns scored Bionde to tie the game, and Querns hit a single up the middle off lefty Tim Ladd that plated both Hill and Williams to give Rutgers the 6-4 lead. Reliever Brad Rulon then forced Gossard to fly out, ending the inning.
Back-to-back doubles by Payne and Fisher to begin the bottom of the seventh pulled the Jackets to within one run at 6-5, but Spicer entered the game in relief of Healing and retired three-straight batters after walking Wieters to end the threat.
Querns homered to right field in the ninth inning, and Tom Edwards added an RBI single off Wieters to cap the scoring in the game.
Turner (1-2) took the loss for the Jackets, giving up five runs on eight hits while striking out two in 6.2 innings.
The Jackets will take the week off before beginning conference play next weekend when they host Virginia Tech in a three-game series beginning Friday at 4 p.m. The games on Saturday and Sunday will begin at 1 p.m., and the entire series can be followed on ACC Select (gatech.playonsports.tv) with live stats available at www.ramblinwreck.com.
