March 8, 2005
ATLANTA – Jeremy Slayden hit two home runs and drove in six runs as part of a six home run offensive explosion to lead No. 8 Georgia Tech (12-2) to a 17-9 win over William & Mary (9-5) on Tuesday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Slayden went 4-for-5 with two home runs, his third and fourth of the season, and a career-high six RBI. Danny Payne, Andy Hawranick and Michael Fisher each hit their second home runs of the year, and Whit Robbins hit his first home run of the season.
Payne went 4-for-5 with five runs scored and Wes Hodges had three hits in six at bats. Robbins, Fisher, Tyler Greene and Steven Blackwood each had two hits. Tech outhit William & Mary, 20-11.
Tim Gustafson (1-1) earned the win in his first career start, working five innings and allowing four earned runs. After a shaky second inning where the Tribe scored seven runs, four of which were unearned thanks to three Yellow Jacket errors, Gustafson worked the next three innings and allowed one run.
Freshman Tim Ladd earned his first save by working the final four innings, allowing one run on two hits.
The Yellow Jackets jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, including home runs from Slayden and Payne and a RBI single from Steven Blackwood, but the Tribe answered with seven runs in the second to take a 7-5 lead. Terry Revere hit a grand slam and the Jackets committed three errors that led to four unearned runs.
Tech tied the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the second inning on a two-run homer from Slayden. A three-run third inning, highlighted by a homer from Robbins, gave the Yellow Jackets a 10-7 lead.
After the Tribe pulled within 10-8 on Jon Rhymes RBI single in the top of the fifth, the Yellow Jackets answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning on a home run from Hawranick and a RBI single from Slayden.
A four-run sixth inning made the score 16-8. Fisher hit a two-run homer, his second in as many games, Wes Hodges had a RBI double and Tyler Greene had a RBI single. A RBI double from Robbins in the seventh and a RBI single from William & Mary’s Chris Rahl in the eighth provided the final 17-9 margin.
Revere, Rahl, Greg Sexton and Jeff Lunardi each had two hits for the Tribe.
William & Mary starter Joe Kontakevich (1-1) allowed seven runs in 1.2 innings and was charged with the loss.
Georgia Tech will host Georgia Southern on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
