Georgia Tech Advances To ACC Final With Comeback Win Over Clemson

May 19, 2000

2000 ACC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP MAY 19, 2000 – FORT MILL, SC QUARTERFINAL ROUND

#1 Georgia Tech 9, #2 Clemson 8

FORT MILL, S.C. – Georgia Tech (45-14) won a wild quarterfinal game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to gain a 9-8 victory over Clemson (44-15) in the ACC Baseball Tournament at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, S.C.

Clemson jumped on the board early with three runs in the top of the first inning off of Yellow Jacket starter Rhett Parrott. The Tigers’ Jeff Baker provided the big hit as his single plated both Patrick Boyd and Casey Stone, who led off the game with an infield single.

The Tigers added four runs over the next two innings, including three in the top of the third as Mike Calitri singled to centerfield to score Brian Ellis, who reached on a double. Calitri later scored on a two-RBI single by Boyd that also scored Bradley LeCroy to give Clemson a 7-0 advantage.

Georgia Tech broke through with a run of its own in the fourth inning as Mark Teixeira doubled to left field to score Brad Stockton. The Jackets followed that with a five-run uprising in the sixth inning, as Jason Basil got things started in the frame with a two-RBI single that scored Teixeira and Stockton. That hit was followed by a three-run homer by Derik Goffena to left field that scored Basil and Bryan Prince to make the score 7-6, and chased Tiger starter Jarrod Schmidt.

After the teams traded runs in the seventh inning, the Yellow Jackets tied the game in the bottom of the ninth as Teixeira doubled to score Stockton who reached on an infield hit. Teixeira was thrown out at third base trying to leg out a triple on the play. Tech scored the winning run as Prince scored after a fielding error by Calitri as the Tigers attempted to complete an inning-ending double play.

Clemson’s Nick Glaser (0-2) took the loss after tossing a third of an inning, while Jeff Watchko (4-1) was the winner after allowing only one run and one hit in three innings of work.

The Yellow Jackets advance to play Florida State in Saturday’s first semifinal at noon, while the Tigers will face Virginia in an elimination game at 3:30.