March 13, 2002
ATLANTA – Freshman Jeremy Slayden homered and drove in three runs, and Georgia Tech scored eight runs over the final three innings as the fifth-ranked Yellow Jackets (14-1) rallied for an 11-7 win over Georgia State (7-8) on Wednesday afternoon DeKalb South Stadium. Tech’s victory extended the Yellow Jackets’ winning streak to seven games.
Georgia Tech’s 14-1 record through 15 games is the Yellow Jackets’ best start to a season since opening the 1997 season with a 15-1 mark.
With the score tied at 3-3, Georgia Tech erupted for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 7-3 lead. With runners on first and third bases, Matthew Boggs drove in Brandon Boggs with a bunt single between the pitcher and first baseman. Victor Menocal, plated Eric Patterson with a RBI double over the third base bag before Matthew Boggs scored on a balk. A sacrifice fly from Jason Perry drove in Menocal with the final run of the inning.
Georgia State cut the lead to 7-4 on a sacrifice fly from Kyle Breitbach in the bottom of the seventh. The Panthers mounted a rally in the eighth inning, loading the bases with two outs on a pair of walks and an error, but Jeff Watchko came out of the Tech bullpen to retire Clint Mize to end the threat.
The Yellow Jackets broke the game open with four runs in the top of the ninth. Jeremy Slayden drove in two runs on a single, while Menocal and Tyler Parker each had RBI singles in the inning.
Georgia State scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth, including a RBI single from Sean Fitzgerald, to provide the final 11-7 margin.
Tech reliever Aaron Walker (1-0), one of eight Yellow Jacket pitchers in the game on a designated staff day, picked up the win. Georgia State starter Brett Strickland (1-2) took the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits in six-plus innings of work.
Menocal paced the Tech offense with three hits in four at bats, while Slayden and Matthew Boggs each added two hits in the game.
The Panthers initially took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, scoring both runs after two outs. Sean Fitzgerald drove in Stephen Burroughs with a RBI single before Garrett Greer scored on Tech second baseman Eric Patterson’s fielding error. A solo homer from Dustin Phillips, his fourth of the season, made the score 3-0 in the third inning.
Tech trimmed the lead to 3-1 in the top of the fourth when Menocal drew a one-out walk and then scored on a RBI double from Matt Murton. The Yellow Jackets made the score 3-2 in the fifth inning when Clifton Remole led off with a single, took second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a balk and scored on a groundout from Patterson.
Tech’s Slayden knotted the score at 3-3 in the fifth inning with a two-out, solo home run, his fourth of the season.
Georgia Tech will return to action when the Yellow Jackets visit Wake Forest for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series beginning Friday at 1:30 p.m. Live scoring for the game will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com, while a live radio broadcast can be heard on WREK (91.1 FM) in Atlanta.
