ATLANTA (Apr. 25) – Senior Ben Sheeter went the distance on the mound for Georgia Tech on Wednesday night, allowing just three runs and four hits, while striking out a career-high ten batters, as the fifth-ranked Yellow Jackets downed No. 22 Georgia, 7-3, on Tuesday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Georgia Tech win marks the fourteenth straight season that the Jackets (35-10) have won or split the season series against the arch-rival Bulldogs (28-17), as the teams split the four meetings in 2000.
Sheeter (3-2), who was in complete command all evening, picked up his third win in as many starts while tossing his first career complete game. The southpaw faced the minimum number of batters from the second through the eighth innings, retiring 19 of 20 batters and holding the Bulldogs hitless for seven innings in that stretch.
Georgia took a 2-0 lead midway through the second inning with a solo homer from Jeff Keppinger in the first and a sacrifice fly from Brian Rainwater in the second. The Yellow Jackets knotted the score at 2-2 with a pair of runs in the second inning courtesy of a two-run single from Wes Rynders.
Tech took a 3-2 lead in the third inning when Brad Stockton walked and came around to score on a RBI single from Derik Goffena.
The Yellow Jackets broke the game open with four runs in the sixth inning. Jason Basil blasted a solo home run, his sixth of the season, and Richard Lewis connected on a three-run blast, his fourth homer of the year.
From there it was all Sheeter, who set the Bulldogs down in order in the third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth innings. Georgia did scratch across a single run in the ninth on a RBI double from Adam Swann to make the score 7-3, but Sheeter struck out Doc Brooks and Josh Dorminy to end the game.
The Bulldogs’ Bill Sharpton (3-2) took the loss, allowing five runs on five hits in 5.2 innings of work.
Georgia Tech will return to action on Friday when the Yellow Jackets open a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series with Clemson at 7 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium. Georgia opens a three-game SEC series on Friday night at South Carolina.
