With score knotted at 5-5, the Yellow Jackets broke through for three runs in the top of the seventh inning to take an 8-5 lead. Nickeas started the rally with a one-out double. After Slayden was intentionally walked, Tyler Greene laced a double down the left field line to drive in both runners. Greene scored the third run of the inning after North Carolina shortstop Chad Prosser threw wildly to first base in what would have been the third out of the inning.
Tech added an insurance run in the top of the eighth, stretching the lead to 9-5, when Matt Murton singled and scored on Nickeas' RBI base hit. A solo home run from Slayden, his third of the season and his first in over a month, gave the Yellow Jackets a 10-5 lead in the top of the ninth inning.
Carolina staged a rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, scoring one run with an RBI single from Ryan Blake to cut the lead to 10-6, but could do no further damage.
Brian Burks (2-0) earned the victory after working the final 3.2 innings of the game and allowing just one run. He allowed four hits, all singles, and did not walk a batter while striking out two batters.
North Carolina reliever Kevin Brower (2-2) took the loss, allowing three runs in 1.1 innings.
The Yellow Jackets collected 13 hits in the game, including three hits from Nickeas and two hits each from Murton, Slayden, Greene and Eric Patterson.
A two-run homer from Owings, his team-leading ninth of the season, gave the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Tar Heels got one run back with a solo home run from Jeremy Cleveland, his eighth, in the bottom of the inning.
The Tar Heels tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the third inning after Sammy Hewitt reached base with a bunt single, took second on a balk, advanced to third Mike Daniel's single and scored on Chad Prosser's sacrifice fly.
A solo home run from Ryan Blake, his second of the season, gave North Carolina a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. North Carolina extended the lead to 4-2 when Daniel drew a two-out walk and scored after consecutive singles from Greg Mangum and Prosser.
The Yellow Jackets scored three times in the fifth inning, thanks in part to four North Carolina errors, to take a 5-4 lead. Clifton Remole drove in two runs with a single and Eric Patterson added an RBI base hit as the Yellow Jackets scored three unearned runs in the inning. Tech loaded the bases with only one out in the sixth inning but failed to score after Brandon Boggs struck out and Murton grounded out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Hewitt reached on an error from Tech shortstop Tyler Greene and Daniel singled before a sacrifice bunt by Mangum moved the runners into scoring position with one out. Prosser drove in Hewitt with an RBI groundout before Tech reliever Brian Burks struck out Jeremy Cleveland to end the threat.
Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision. Tech's Micah Owings surrendered five runs, four of which were earned, in 5.1 innings, while North Carolina's Daniel Moore allowed five runs, two earned, in 5.1 innings.
Georgia Tech and North Carolina will continue the series son Saturday at 1 p.m., and the game will be televised on the ACC Regional Network (Fox Sports Net South, Sunshine and Comcast). Radio coverage is available on WREK Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta).
2003 GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL
GEORGIA TECH at NORTH CAROLINA
April 4, 2003 at Chapel Hill, NC (Boshamer Stadium)
GEORGIA TECH 10 (23-5,4-0 ACC) NORTH CAROLINA 6 (21-10,3-4 ACC)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Eric Patterson 2b.......... 6 1 2 1 Greg Mangum 2b............. 4 0 1 0
Brandon Boggs cf........... 5 1 0 0 Chad Prosser ss............ 4 0 1 3
Matt Murton lf............. 5 1 2 0 Sean Farrell lf............ 4 0 1 0
Clifton Remole 1b.......... 5 0 1 2 Jeremy Cleveland rf........ 3 1 1 1
Mike Nickeas c............. 5 2 3 1 Chris Iannetta 1b.......... 5 0 1 0
Micah Owings p/dh.......... 5 1 1 2 Adam Weaver pr............ 0 1 0 0
Jeremy Slayden rf.......... 4 2 2 1 Ryan Blake c............... 5 1 2 2
Tyler Greene ss............ 5 1 2 2 Justin Webb 3b............. 4 0 0 0
Jake Hall 3b............... 1 1 0 0 Zack Zuercher ph.......... 1 0 1 0
Steven Blackwood ph....... 1 0 0 0 Sammy Hewitt dh............ 5 2 2 0
Davis Myers 3b............ 0 0 0 0 Mike Daniel cf............. 3 1 2 0
Brian Burks p............. 0 0 0 0 Daniel Moore p............. 0 0 0 0
Kevin Brower p............ 0 0 0 0
Scott Senatore p.......... 0 0 0 0
Matt Danford p............ 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 42 10 13 9 Totals..................... 38 6 12 6
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
GEORGIA TECH........ 020 030 311 - 10 13 1
NORTH CAROLINA...... 011 201 001 - 6 12 5
-------------------------------------------
E - Greene, T.(13); Prosser, C. 2(7); Webb, J.(7); Moore, D. 2(2). DP - UNC 1. LOB -
GEORGIA TECH 9; UNC 11. 2B - Nickeas, M.(7); Greene, T.(6); Farrell, S.(9). 3B -
Slayden, J.(3). HR - Owings, M.(9); Slayden, J.(3); Cleveland, J(8); Blake, R.(2).
HBP - Hall, J.; Farrell, S.. SH - Mangum, G.(4). SF - Prosser, C.(5). SB - Hall,
J.(4). CS - Nickeas, M.(1).
GEORGIA TECH IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah Owings .............. 5.1 8 5 4 3 3 0 0 0 1 23 28 9 4 96
Brian Burks W,2-0......... 3.2 4 1 1 0 3 1 0 1 0 15 16 0 8 60
NORTH CAROLINA IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daniel Moore .............. 5.1 8 5 2 1 7 1 0 1 0 26 28 3 6 114
Kevin Brower L,2-2........ 1.1 2 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 1 6 8 1 2 32
Scott Senatore ............ 0.2 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 4 4 0 1 20
Matt Danford .............. 1.2 2 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 6 6 1 1 20
WP - Burks, B.(2); Moore, D.(3); Senatore, S.(3). HBP - by Moore, D. (Hall, J.); by
Burks, B. (Farrell, S.). PB - Nickeas, M.(2). Inherited runners/scored: Burks, B. 2/1;
Brower, K. 3/0; Senatore, S. 2/1; Danford, M. 1/1. Pitches/strikes: Owings, M. 96/60;
Burks, B. 60/40; Moore, D. 114/80; Brower, K. 32/19; Senatore, S. 20/12; Danford, M.
20/13.
Strikeouts - Patterson, E 2; Boggs, B. 3; Murton, M.; Remole, C. 2; Owings, M. 2;
Blackwood, S; Cleveland, J 2; Iannetta, C.; Webb, J.; Hewitt, S. 2. Walks - Slayden,
J.; Hall, J. 2; Cleveland, J 2; Daniel, M..
Umpires - HP: Scott Erby 1B: Randall Dulin 3B: Tim Clougherty
Start: 7:04 pm Time: 3:13 Attendance: 2105