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#4 Georgia Tech Edges #20 Clemson 5-4 Friday

#4 Georgia Tech Edges #20 Clemson 5-4 Friday

April 24, 2009

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

Clemson, SC –

The #4 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets scored all five of their runs in the third inning and outlasted #20 Clemson 5-4 in front of 5,584 fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Friday night. Georgia Tech, who took a 1-0 series lead, improved to 28-9-1 overall and 14-5-1 in the ACC, while the Tigers dropped to 28-15 overall and 12-10 in ACC play.

Yellow Jacket starter Deck McGuire (7-0) earned the win. In 5.0 innings pitched, he allowed four hits, three runs, and seven walks with three strikeouts. Zach Brewster pitched 1.2 innings in relief, allowing one hit, no runs, and no walks with three strikeouts to record his first career save.

Tiger starter Chris Dwyer (4-4) suffered the loss, as he yielded five runs on four hits in 2.1 innings pitched. Four Clemson relievers combined to pitch 6.2 scoreless innings.

A clutch two-out hit enabled the Tigers to take the game’s first lead in the first inning. Jeff Schaus led off with a double down the right-field line and Mike Freeman followed with a walk. After the next two Tigers were retired and Wilson Boyd walked to load the bases, Brad Miller worked his way back from an 0-2 count to line a 3-2 pitch to left-center for a three-run double.

In the third inning, Georgia Tech stormed back to take the lead with five runs. Evan Martin led off with a triple to right-center and Jeff Rowland was hit-by-pitch. Derek Dietrich then fisted a seeing-eye single on an 0-2 pitch through the left side for a single to score Martin. Rowland hustled into third base and Dietrich took second base on the throw to third. Before the next pitch was thrown, Rowland scored and Dietrich moved to third on a balk. Jason Haniger followed with a four-pitch walk. Tony Plagman then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Dietrich. Luke Murton gave the Yellow Jackets the lead when he hit a towering two-run homer down the left-field line. It was his 12th long ball of the season.

In the eighth inning, John Nester led off with a double down the right-field line. Two batters later, Schaus lined an 0-2 pitch to right-center for a single, but Nester was forced to hold to see if the ball would be caught and only advanced to third base. Freeman then lofted a flyball deep down the left-field line in foul territory that was caught by Chris House, as Nester tagged up and scored on the sacrifice fly.

In the ninth inning, Brewster struck out leadoff batter Kyle Parker looking on a 3-2 fastball that just caught the inside corner. Brewster also struck out the next two Tigers to end the game.

Dietrich and Murton led Georgia Tech’s 11-hit attack by totaling three hits apiece. Schaus went 3-for-4 with a double and walk, while Miller went 1-for-3 with a double, three RBIs, and two walks for the Tigers, who had eight hits. But Clemson, who drew eight walks, could muster just one run-scoring hit in 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position during the game and stranded 11 baserunners, including six in scoring position. Clemson’s 11-game homer streak, its longest since 2002, also came to an end.

Clemson and Georgia Tech will play game-two of the three-game series on Saturday at 6:30 PM.

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