March 25, 2007
ATLANTA – Luke Murton led the Yellow Jackets with three hits and drove in four runs as Georgia Tech (14-11, 5-4 ACC) defeated Duke (18-9, 1-8 ACC), 5-1 to win their second-straight Atlantic Coast Conference series.
Murton went 3-for-4 with a pair of triples and a sacrifice fly while driving in four runs on the afternoon, while Michael Fisher and Wally Crancer added two hits apiece.
Tech starter Ryan Turner (2-3) earned the win by holding the Blue Devils to one run on seven hits while striking out four in six innings of work. Brad Rulon tossed perfect seventh and eighth innings before Danny Payne closed out the game with a pair of strikeouts in the ninth inning.
The Jackets stung the Blue Devils early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a pair of extra-base hits by Murton and Fisher. Danny Payne was hit by the first pitch of the game and scored when Murton hit the first triple of his career to the outfield wall. Fisher then followed with an RBI double to plate Murton for the second run of the game.
Tech tacked on another run in the second inning when Patrick Long led off the frame with a single, stole second and third bases, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Murton.
Murton gave the Yellow Jackets a 5-0 lead in the sixth inning when he drove in Jeff Ussery and Jay Dantzler with his second triple of the game. Ussery led off the inning with a single and stole second base before Dantzler was issued a one-out walk. After Duke reliever Andrew Wolcott forced Payne to fly out in his first official at bat of the afternoon, Murton then sent a 2-2 pitch back to the outfield wall for his third and fourth RBI’s of the game.
Christopher Manno (0-1) took the loss for Duke, lasting just over one inning while giving up three runs on two hits while walking four.
The Yellow Jackets will return to Atlanta to host Georgia Southern in a pair of midweek games beginning Tuesday at 7 p.m. and continuing Wednesday at 3 p.m., which is a change from previously-published schedules. Live video is available online for Tuesday’s contest (gatech.playonsports.tv) while Wednesday’s game will be televised on SportsSouth. Tuesday’s game can be heard on 790 the Zone with Wes Durham and Randy Carroll calling the action while Wednesday’ contest can be heard on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM/www.wrek.org). Live stats for both games will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com.
