June 3, 2006
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s right-handed pitcher Blake Wood (10-4) worked 7.1 strong innings, scattering nine hits, allowing four runs and struck out four, while Matt Weiters picked up his seventh save of the season and went 3-for-4, with a home run and two runs batted in, to lead the top-seeded Yellow Jackets (46-16) past No. 4 seed Stetson (38-23), 7-5, on Saturday in the NCAA Atlanta Regional at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Tech’s Michael Fisher smacked a grand slam, his first home run of the season, in the bottom of the third inning which proved to be the winning runs for the Jackets. Steven Blackwood added two hits, along with Jeff Kindel, to pace the Tech bats.
Stetson’s Chris Johnson, Braedyn Pruitt, Brian Pruitt and Adam Tingle each had two hits to lead the Hatters offensively. Right-handed pitcher Corey Kluber (6-5) started the game and went 3.0 innings, allowing six hits, seven runs and struck out five in the loss. Left-handed pitcher Nathan Nery worked 4.2 innings, holding Tech scoreless, while fanning five. Right-handed pitcher Robbie Elsemiller retired the final out of the game for the Hatters.
The Yellow Jackets wiggled out of bases loaded nobody out jam in the top of the first inning as Tech starting pitcher Wood recorded a strikeout and a fly out to left field where Kindel threw a dart to home plate to record the third out of the inning and Keep the Hatters off the scoreboard.
Tech’s Weiters connected on a two-run home run to right field in the bottom half of the first inning, his 11th of the season, to give the Jackets the first lead of the game at 2-0.
With the bases loaded and one out, the Hatters were turned away with no runs for the second consecutive inning as Wood fielded a ground ball and retired the out at home and induced a line out to second base to preserve Tech’s two-run lead.
The Jackets tacked on five more runs in the bottom of the third inning, highlighted by a grand slam with two outs by Tech shortstop Michael Fisher, his first home run of the season, to push the advantage to seven, 7-0.
The Hatters scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning, courtesy of RBI hits by Johnson, David Gollinger and Shane Gordon. Tingle hit a sacrifice fly to plate a run and Brandon Paritz reached on a throwing error by the Tech third baseman which allowed a run to cross as Stetson trailed by just two, 7-5. After a second Tech error allowed the bases loaded, right-handed pitcher Brad Rulon entered the game for the Jackets and picked up a big strikeout to end the inning and preserve Tech’s 7-5 lead.
The Yellow Jackets will face second-seeded Vanderbilt in the winner’s bracket of the Atlanta Regional tonight at approximately 7 p.m. ET. The winner of that game will advance to the championship game on Sunday and will have to be beaten twice.
LINE SCORE R-H-E
SU 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-5-0 5-13-1
GT 2-0-5-0-0-0-0-0-X 7-12-2
NOTES: Michael Fisher’s grand slam was Tech’s sixth of the season, by six different players … GT’s RHP Blake Wood had a 22 consecutive scoreless innings pitched streak in NCAA play snapped in the eighth inning …SU’s Chris Johnson extended his hitting streak to 10 games and has 28 multi-hit games on the season … Tech snapped Stetson’s 12-game non-conference winning streak … SU’s Brandon Paritz is 10th all-time in school history with 224 games played … SU reliever Robbie Elsemiller made his 37th appearance on the mound for the Hatters.
