May 9, 2007
Athens, Ga.– Travis Parrott’s two-out single in the seventh inning put Georgia ahead and the Bulldogs went on to defeat Georgia Tech, 9-4, Wednesday at Foley Field. With the win, Georgia captured the three-game season series between the in-state rivals, 2-1.
Georgia improved to 20-30 on the season, while the Yellow Jackets fell to 30-18.
Tech had taken a 4-3 lead on Matt Wieters’ team-leading ninth home run of the season with one out in the seventh inning, but the Bulldogs answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and then added four more in the eighth.
With Georgia trailing 4-3, Jonathan Wyatt led off the seventh inning with a double to right field and moved to third on wild pitch by reliever Brad Rulon. After Gordon Beckham walked, Rich Poythress tied the game with a sacrifice fly that plated Wyatt. Rulon struck out Matt Olson for the second out before walking Matt Robbins. Then Parrott delivered his single on a looping liner that right fielder Wally Crancer dove for but could not come up with.
In the eighth, Georgia loaded the bases on a hit batter and two walks before Olson delivered a two-out, two-run double to right center. Robbins added a two-run single.
Ryan Woolley (1-1) earned the victory for Georgia after getting the final out in the top of the seventh, while Rulon (2-2) took the loss.
The Jackets took their first lead of the game with two runs in the fifth. After Jason Haniger led off the inning with a single and Jason Garofalo reached on an error, Danny Payne’s sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out. Patrick Long delivered an RBI single to left to score Haniger, and then Garofalo came home on Wieters’ sacrifice fly for a 3-2 lead.
The Bulldogs tied the game at 3-3 on Robbins’ run-scoring single in the sixth. Olson led off the inning with a triple into the left field corner off reliever Chris Hicks. Jared Hyatt came on and yielded Robbins’ single before retiring the Bulldogs.
Georgia got on the board first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. After leadoff hitter Ryan Peisel doubled on a ball that left fielder Luke Murton appeared to lose in the sun, Wyatt brought him home with a double to left center. Wyatt moved to third on Beckham’s groundout and then came home on fielder’s choice groundout by Olson.
Tech answered with a run in the second as Crancer led off the inning with his sixth home run of the season, a blast to right field.
Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision. Wieters made his first career start for Tech and pitched two innings on a designated staff day, allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and one strikeout. Georgia starter Trevor Holder went 4-1/3 innings and gave up three runs, two of them earned, on three hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Wieters has now hit safely in 11 straight games, including nine RBI in the last four games.
Payne drew a third-inning walk, marking the 68th straight game in which he has reached base safely, and then added a double in the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to 14 games.
Tech, playing without its starting middle infield with shortstop Michael Fisher and second baseman Jeff Ussery injured, plays its ninth straight game away from home Friday at 7 p.m. as the Yellow Jackets begin a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at fifth-ranked North Carolina.
–30–
