SAVANNAH, Ga. - Jeremy Slayden drove in two runs and Kyle Bakker, Jeff Watchko and Jordan Crews combined on a four-hittter to lead top-ranked Georgia Tech (4-0) to an 8-1 win over Rider (0-1) on Friday afternoon in the first day of the Memorial Health Diamond Classic at Grayson Stadium.
Bakker improved to 2-0 on the season after facing just two batters over the minimum over six innings. He allowed three hits, all singles, and one walk while striking out seven batters. No Rider baserunner advanced past first base against Bakker.
Watchko worked a perfect seventh and eighth innings before yielding to Crews in the ninth.
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Eric Patterson led off the game with a single, stole second base and scored on an RBI single from Slayden. Brandon Boggs, who walked, scored on a bases loaded walk to Clifton Remole, while Slayden scored on a double play groundout by Micah Owings.
The score remained 3-0 until Tech broke through for three runs in the seventh, scoring on a bases loaded walk to Steven Blackwood, an RBI single from Mike Nickeas and an RBI groundout from Tyler Greene. The Yellow Jackets added two more runs in the eighth inning on an RBI triple from Boggs and an RBI single from Slayden to make the score 8-0.
A solo home run from Rider's Erinn Pesaresi in the bottom of the ninth inning broke up the shutout.
Tech managed just seven hits in the game, but the Yellow Jackets' offensive effort was aided by 12 walks from Rider pitchers. Patterson and Slayden each had two hits in the game while Boggs and Matt Murton each walked three times.
Georgia Tech will face Michigan on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in the second day of the Memorial Helath Diamond Classic. The second game of the day will feature Rider against host Armstrong Atlantic State.
2003 GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL
GEORGIA TECH vs RIDER
Feb 21, 2003 at Savannah, Ga. (Grayson Stadium)
GEORGIA TECH 8 (4-0) RIDER 1 (0-1)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
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Eric Patterson 2b.......... 4 2 2 0 Erinn Pesaresi lf.......... 3 1 1 1
Brandon Boggs cf........... 2 2 1 1 Jared Carle 1b............. 4 0 0 0
Jeremy Slayden rf.......... 4 2 2 2 Casey Long 3b.............. 4 0 1 0
Matt Murton lf............. 1 1 0 0 Carl Loadenthal cf......... 3 0 0 0
Clifton Remole 1b.......... 3 1 1 1 Scott Rich rf.............. 4 0 1 0
Micah Owings dh............ 3 0 0 0 David Deane dh............. 2 0 0 0
Steven Blackwood ph/dh.... 1 0 0 1 Eric D'Alessandro ph/dh... 1 0 0 0
Mike Nickeas c............. 4 0 1 1 Brian Wagner ss............ 3 0 0 0
Andy Hawranick c.......... 0 0 0 0 Steve Sciaraffo ss........ 0 0 0 0
Tyler Greene ss............ 5 0 0 1 Dante Paolillo 2b.......... 3 0 0 0
Jake Hall 3b............... 4 0 0 0 Scott Whalen c............. 3 0 1 0
Davis Myers 3b............ 1 0 0 0 James Hoey p............... 0 0 0 0
Kyle Bakker p.............. 0 0 0 0 A.J. Battisto p........... 0 0 0 0
Jeff Watchko p............ 0 0 0 0 Joe Ambler p.............. 0 0 0 0
Jordan Crews p............ 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 32 8 7 7 Totals..................... 30 1 4 1
Score by Innings R H E
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GEORGIA TECH........ 300 000 320 - 8 7 1
RIDER............... 000 000 001 - 1 4 1
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E - Myers, D.(3); Paolillo, D.(1). DP - GEORGIA TECH 1; RIDER 1.
LOB - GEORGIA TECH 10; RIDER 4. 3B - Boggs, B.(1). HR - Pesaresi, E.(1).
HBP - Murton, M.. SB - Patterson, E(4). CS - Patterson, E(1); Boggs, B.(1); Pesaresi, E.(1).
GEORGIA TECH IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
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Kyle Bakker W,2-0......... 6.0 3 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 19 20 3 6 83
Jeff Watchko .............. 2.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 6 1 4 22
Jordan Crews .............. 1.0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 5 6 0 2 22
RIDER IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
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James Hoey L,0-1.......... 5.0 4 3 3 7 0 0 0 1 0 17 25 7 6 84
A.J. Battisto ............. 2.0 1 3 1 4 0 0 1 0 0 7 11 2 3 42
Joe Ambler ................ 2.0 2 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 8 9 3 3 40
HB - Hoey, J.. BK - Battisto, A.(1). Inherited runners/scored: None.
Pitches/strikes: Bakker, K. 83/57; Watchko, J. 22/14; Crews, J. 22/13;
Hoey, J. 84/44; Battisto, A. 42/20; Ambler, J. 40/26.
Strikeouts - Pesaresi, E. 2; Carle, J. 3; Long, C.; Loadenthal; Rich, S.; Paolillo,
D.. Walks - Patterson, E; Boggs, B. 3; Slayden, J.; Murton, M. 3; Remole, C. 2;
Blackwood, S; Nickeas, M.; Pesaresi, E.; Loadenthal.
Umpires - HP: Dennis McComb 1B: Mike Trotter 3B: Brad Cole
Start: 12:35 pm Time: 2:32
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