Georgia Tech's win tied the school record for the best start in team history matching the 16-0 start by the 1987 team. Tech's current 16-game winning streak is tied for the third longest in school history.
Trailing 4-1 after seven and a half innings, the Yellow Jackets scored three times in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the score. Steven Blackwood drew a one out walk and took third base on Jeremy Slayden's double. A sacrifice fly from Murton drove in Blackwood with the first run of the inning before Clifton Remole and Mike Nickeas each delivered two-out RBI singles to tie the game at 4-4.
Micah Owings led off the bottom of the ninth inning with an infield single to third base and moved up to second base on a throwing error from Kent State's Matt Sega. After an intentional walk to Davis Myers, Kent State reliever Gus Hlebovy (2-1) nearly worked out of the jam by retiring the next two Tech batters before Slayden belted a 3-1 pitch to the right center field alley to drive in pinch runner Cameron Lane with the winning run. Slayden went 3-for-5 in the game while Eric Patterson and Micah Owings added two hits each.
Tech reliever Jeff Watchko (2-0) earned the win after working a scoreless ninth inning. All four runs allowed by his predecessors were unearned. Hlebovy took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits in 1.2 innings.
The Yellow Jackets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to two errors by the Kent State infield. Steven Blackwood reached on a fielding error by first baseman Chad Kinyon, then stole second base before scoring on throwing error from catcher Pat O'Brien.
The Golden Flashes tied the score at 1-1 in the top of the third inning when Eric Hollick reached on a two-base throwing error from Tech shortstop Tyler Greene and then scored on Joe Tucker's RBI single to right field. Eric O'Brien doubled down the right field line to lead off the fifth inning and then scored when Tech second baseman Eric Patterson could not handle a throw from Mike Nickeas on Chuck Moore's sacrifice bunt attempt.
Kent State stretched its lead to 4-1 in the top of the eighth inning with a pair of unearned runs. Tucker reached on an error to lead off the inning and took second base on Chris Welsh's two-out single. An RBI single from Chad Kinyon scored Tucker while Welsh scored when Blackwood overran the ball in center field.
Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision despite a pair of solid outings. Tech starter Kyle Bakker worked seven-plus innings and allowed three unearned runs on five hits. Kent State starter Dirk Hayhurst allowed on unearned run on four hits in seven innings.
Georgia Tech and Kent State will continue the three game series on Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. each day.
2003 GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL
KENT STATE at GEORGIA TECH
March 14, 2003 at Atlanta, Ga. (Russ Chandler Stadium)
KENT STATE 4 (6-4) GEORGIA TECH 5 (16-0)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
TUCKER, Joe ss............. 5 1 1 1 Eric Patterson 2b.......... 5 0 2 0
SEGA, Matt 3b.............. 5 0 1 0 Steven Blackwood cf........ 4 2 0 0
O'BRIEN, Pat c............. 4 0 1 0 Jeremy Slayden rf.......... 5 1 3 1
WELSCH, Chris 2b........... 4 1 1 0 Matt Murton lf............. 3 0 0 1
KINYON, Chad 1b............ 4 0 1 1 Clifton Remole 1b.......... 4 1 1 1
O'BRIEN, Eric lf........... 2 1 1 0 Mike Nickeas c............. 4 0 1 1
MOORE, Chuck cf............ 2 0 0 0 Tyler Greene ss............ 3 0 1 0
LeMASTERS, Pat dh.......... 3 0 1 0 Micah Owings dh............ 4 0 2 0
EICHORN, Kurt ph.......... 1 0 1 0 Cameron Lane pr........... 0 1 0 0
HOLICK, Eric rf............ 3 1 0 0 Garrett Groce 3b........... 2 0 0 0
HAYHURST, Dirk p........... 0 0 0 0 Brandon Boggs ph.......... 1 0 0 0
HLEBOVY, Gus p............ 0 0 0 0 Davis Myers 3b............ 0 0 0 0
Kyle Bakker p.............. 0 0 0 0
Brian Burks p............. 0 0 0 0
Jeff Watchko p............ 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 33 4 8 2 Totals..................... 35 5 10 4
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
KENT STATE.......... 001 010 020 - 4 8 3
GEORGIA TECH........ 100 000 031 - 5 10 4
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Note: 2 outs, 2 runners LOB when the game ended.
E - SEGA(1); O'BRIEN, P.(3); KINYON(2); Patterson, E(3); Blackwood, S(1); Greene, T. 2(9).
LOB - KENT STATE 7; GEORGIA TECH 8. 2B - O'BRIEN, E.(4); EICHORN(3); Slayden, J.(4); Owings, M.(2).
HBP - O'BRIEN, E.; Greene, T.. SH - MOORE 2(4); HOLICK(1). SF - Murton, M.(2).
SB - MOORE(2); Patterson, E(16); Blackwood, S(1); Murton, M.(5). CS - TUCKER(3); Patterson, E(2).
KENT STATE IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
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HAYHURST, Dirk ............ 7.0 4 1 0 0 7 0 0 1 0 26 27 8 6 114
HLEBOVY, Gus L,2-1........ 1.2 6 4 4 2 1 0 1 0 1 9 12 3 0 46
GEORGIA TECH IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kyle Bakker ............... 7.0 5 3 0 0 8 0 0 1 0 25 28 5 6 102
Brian Burks ............... 1.0 2 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 5 6 0 1 24
Jeff Watchko W,2-0........ 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 4 0 1 14
Bakker faced one batter in the 8th.
HBP - by HAYHURST (Greene, T.); by Bakker, K. (O'BRIEN, E.). BK - HLEBOVY(1). Inherited
runners/scored: Burks, B. 1/1. Pitches/strikes: HAYHURST 114/69; HLEBOVY 46/25; Bakker,
K. 102/72; Burks, B. 24/12; Watchko, J. 14/10.
Strikeouts - TUCKER 2; SEGA 3; O'BRIEN, P. 2; WELSCH 2; KINYON; MOORE; HOLICK;
Patterson, E 2; Blackwood, S; Murton, M.; Remole, C.; Greene, T.; Owings, M.; Groce,
G.. Walks - O'BRIEN, E.; Blackwood, S; Myers, D..
Umpires - HP: Billy Pittman 1B: Eric Johanssen 3B: Jack Martin
Start: 4:05 pm Time: 2:45 Attendance: 1544