April 3, 2002
Jeff Watchko scattered eight hits over seven innings and Eric Patterson had three hits to lead sixth-ranked Georgia Tech (24-4) to a 9-3 win over visiting Georgia Southern (21-12) on Wednesday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium. The victory improved the Yellow Jackets’ record to 16-0 at their new home park and extended Tech’s overall home winning streak to 21 games dating back to last season.
Tech’s victory was the Yellow Jackets’ 16th-straight win over Georgia Southern dating back to 1998. The Yellow Jackets have swept the four-game series from the Eagles in each of the last four years.
Watchko (3-1), making his first start since Mar. 16, held the Eagles to one run on eight hits in seven innings of work. He did not walk a batter and struck out two. The win was Watchko’s first victory since Feb. 23.
Tech took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning with a RBI double from Patterson and a sacrifice fly from Jeremy Slayden. Georgia Southern’s A.J. Zickgraf doubled and scored on a RBI groundout from Chad Hall, trimming the lead to 2-1 in the top of the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Patterson scored on a passed ball and Matthew Boggs scored on Victor Menocal’s RBI single to make the score 4-1. Menocal’s hit extended his career-long hitting streak to 26 games, two games shy of the all-time Georgia Tech record.
The Yellow Jackets broke the game open with three runs in the sixth inning to push the lead to 7-1. Patterson and Mike Nickeas each delivered RBI doubles in the frame, while Brandon Boggs added a RBI single. Tech added two more runs in the seventh, making the score 9-1, on RBI singles from Matt Murton and Wes Rynders.
The Eagles scored two unearned runs in the top of the ninth inning to provide the final 9-3 margin.
Patterson led the Georgia Tech offense with three hits and two RBI, while Murton and Nickeas added two hits apiece.
The Eagles’ Grant Burress went 3-for-4 in the loss. Georgia Southern starter Brett Lewis (5-4) took the loss, allowing three runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Georgia Tech will return to action when the Yellow Jackets open a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series against Duke at Russ Chandler Stadium at 7 p.m. on Friday. A live radio broadcast can be heard on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta) and on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com. Live scoring for the game will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com.
Georgia Southern opens a three-game Southern Conference series at East Tennessee State at 7 p.m. on Friday.
