FULLERTON, Calif. (Mar. 3) — Sophomore right-hander Matt Prior shut down the Georgia Tech offensive attack on Friday afternoon as No. 7 Southern California defeated the No. 6 Jackets 9-2 in the opening game of the 2000 Kia Baseball Bash in Fullerton, Calif.
Prior (4-1) allowed just two runs, one earned, and six hits over seven innings of work, as the sophomore picked up his fourth victory of the season.
The Jackets (8-5) took an early 1-0 lead in the first, as doubles by Richard Lewis and Brad Stockton led off the game.
A solo home run in the second by USC first baseman Bill Peavey knotted the score at 1-1 before Tech reclaimed the lead 2-1 on a sacrifice fly by Jason Basil in the top of the third.
Josh Persell’s two-run double in the bottom of the fourth gave the Trojans the lead for good at 3-2, one that Prior kept secure all afternoon for USC.
Southern California (10-3) added two unearned runs in the sixth off Jackets’ starter Steve Kelly (1-1) to up the Trojans’ lead to 5-2, and scored four times in the bottom of the seventh to build a 9-2 advantage.
Georgia Tech has now dropped three straight, and four of its last five overall.
Tech continues play in the 2000 Kia Baseball Bash on Saturday night at 10 p.m. ET against host school Cal State Fullerton. Sophomore right-hander Rhett Parrott is scheduled to take the mound for the Jackets, opposed by Matt Sorensen of the Titans.
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