Georgia Tech's 14-game winning streak to open 2003 stands as the school's second best mark to start a season. The Yellow Jackets set a school record with a 16-0 start in 1987.
With the score tied 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Nickeas belted a solo home run to right field, his third of the season. Two batters later, Boggs hit a solo homer inside the right field foul pole, his fifth of the year, to give the Yellow Jackets a 7-5 lead.
Tech reliever Aaron Walker (1-0) earned the win by working three scoreless innings to close out the game. The southpaw allowed two hits and did not walk a batter, allowing just three Rutgers' hitters to reach base over the final three innings.
Rutgers' Sean Atchison (0-1), who allowed just one run on one hit in 3.1 innings, took the loss.
Boggs, Steven Blackwood, Tyler Greene and Matt Murton each had two hits in the game for the Yellow Jackets, who outhit the Scarlet Knights, 12-8. Vinny Esposito and Nick Cerulo paced the Rutgers attack with two hits each.
The Yellow Jackets jumped to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI double from Jeremy Slayden and a two-run homer from Murton, his third of the season. The Scarlet Knights scored two runs in the top of the third inning when Cerulo singled and scored on an RBI groundout from Graig Badger and Lee Moskowitz walked and scored on a wild pitch.
Tech answered with a run in the bottom of the third inning when Blackwood led off with a double, took third on Slayden's groundout and scored on Murton's sacrifice fly to center field. Eric Patterson singled to lead off the fifth inning, then stole second and third bases before Blackwood drove him in with an RBI single to right field.
Trailing 5-2, Rutgers tied the game in the top of the sixth inning with a three run homer from Cerulo, his first of the season.
Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision. Tech's Jason Neighborgall allowed three runs on three hits in five innings, while Rutgers' Tom Malifronte surrendered five runs on 10 hits in four innings.
The Yellow Jackets improved to 8-0 at home in 2003, and they are now 44-4 at Russ Chandler Stadium since the facility was rebuilt prior to the 2002 season.
Georgia Tech will return to action on Tuesday when the Yellow Jackets visit Auburn at 7 p.m. EST. Radio coverage will be available on WREK Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta).
2003 GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL
RUTGERS at GEORGIA TECH
March 9, 2003 at Atlanta, Ga. (Russ Chandler Stadium)
RUTGERS 5 (1-7) GEORGIA TECH 7 (14-0)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
BADGER, Graig 2b........... 4 0 0 1 Eric Patterson 2b.......... 4 1 1 0
WOLSKI, Matt dh............ 3 0 0 0 Steven Blackwood dh........ 3 2 2 1
FRAZIER, Jeff rf........... 5 0 1 0 Jeremy Slayden rf.......... 3 1 1 1
ESPOSITO, Vinny 3b......... 4 1 2 0 Matt Murton lf............. 3 1 2 3
NORMANE, Steve 1b.......... 4 0 0 0 Clifton Remole 1b.......... 4 0 1 0
DEFENDIS, Johnny lf........ 2 1 1 0 Mike Nickeas c............. 3 1 1 1
CERULO, Nick cf............ 3 2 2 3 Tyler Greene ss............ 4 0 2 0
MOSKOWITZ, Lee c........... 4 1 1 0 Brandon Boggs cf........... 4 1 2 1
BIONDE, Mike ss............ 2 0 0 0 Davis Myers 3b............. 4 0 0 0
RODRIGUEZ, Cory ph........ 1 0 1 0 Jason Neighborgall p....... 0 0 0 0
MALAFRONTE, Tom p.......... 0 0 0 0 Andrew Kown p............. 0 0 0 0
ATCHISON, Sean p.......... 0 0 0 0 Aaron Walker p............ 0 0 0 0
LILLIS, Chris p........... 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 32 5 8 4 Totals..................... 32 7 12 7
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
RUTGERS............. 002 003 000 - 5 8 1
GEORGIA TECH........ 301 010 02X - 7 12 2
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E - MALAFRONTE(1); Boggs, B.(3); Myers, D.(5). DP - RUTGERS 1; GEORGIA TECH 3. LOB -
RUTGERS 7; GEORGIA TECH 5. 2B - RODRIGUEZ(1); Blackwood, S(1); Slayden, J.(3). HR -
CERULO(1); Murton, M.(3); Nickeas, M.(3); Boggs, B.(5). HBP - Blackwood, S. SH -
DEFENDIS(1); BIONDE(1). SF - Murton, M.(1). SB - Patterson, E 2(15); Greene, T.(2);
Boggs, B.(3); Myers, D.(3). CS - Greene, T.(2).
RUTGERS IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MALAFRONTE, Tom ........... 4.0 10 5 5 1 2 1 0 1 0 19 22 3 5 87
ATCHISON, Sean L,0-1...... 3.1 1 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 10 11 5 1 46
LILLIS, Chris ............. 0.2 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 8
GEORGIA TECH IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason Neighborgall ........ 5.0 3 2 2 5 3 1 0 0 0 15 21 2 7 69
Andrew Kown ............... 1.0 3 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 6 2 0 25
Aaron Walker W,1-0........ 3.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 11 12 6 2 36
MALAFRONTE faced 4 batters in the 5th.
WP - MALAFRONTE(1); Neighborgall(3). HBP - by MALAFRONTE (Blackwood, S). Inherited
runners/scored: ATCHISON 3/0. Pitches/strikes: MALAFRONTE 87/50; ATCHISON 46/27; LILLIS
8/5; Neighborgall 69/38; Kown, A. 25/17; Walker, A. 36/24.
Strikeouts - FRAZIER 2; NORMANE; MOSKOWITZ 2; Blackwood, S; Nickeas, M.; Boggs, B.;
Myers, D. 3. Walks - BADGER; WOLSKI 2; DEFENDIS; CERULO; Slayden, J.; Nickeas, M..
Umpires - HP: Arthur Schmidt 1B: Joe Conley 3B: Ken Couch
Start: 1:34 pm Time: 2:36 Attendance: 1922