Baseball Falls To No. 4 Georgia Tech 10-2
May 6, 2000
Coral Gables, FL – No. 4 Georgia Tech (38-11, 16-5 ACC) scored eight runs over the final three innings to race past No. 12 Miami (30-16-1), 10-2, in the first of three games at Mark Light Stadium.
Tech starter Cory Vance (10-2) went the complete game in allowing four hits, two runs, two walks with three strikeouts. The Yellow Jackets, who out-hit UM 11-4, brought a 2-1 lead into the seventh, but UM errors allowed Tech to come out of the top of the inning with a 6-1 lead.
UM starter David Gil (8-2) took the loss after going 6.1 innings with seven hits, six runs, four earned, four walks and eight strikeouts.
In the ninth, Georgia Tech tacked on four more runs, three off reliever Chris Sheffield. Left fielder knocked in the first run of the ninth, third baseman Mark Teixeira from third, with a single to left field. With two base runners on, Sheffield then allowed a three-run home run to designated hitter Derik Goffena deep to left field for the 10-2 margin.
The Hurricanes started the scoring with one run in the bottom of the first off first baseman Danny Matienzo’s sacrifice fly to left center that scored third baseman Kevin Howard from third. Howard had earlier reached base with his team-high 19th double of the season, then took third on a wild pitch from Vance.
The Yellow Jackets tied the score, 1-1, in the top of the fourth when Goffena hit into a ground out shortstop to first, but not before catcher Bryan Prince scored from third. Prince had reached base on a walk, moved to second on left fielder Jason Basil’s infield single and to third on a passed ball by UM catcher Mike DiRosa.
Georgia Tech took its first lead of the game, 2-1, in the top of the sixth. Gofena singled to left field scoring Teixeira from third. Teixeira earlier drew a walk and moved to bases on a pair of grounders.
The Yellow Jackets tacked on four more runs in the seventh, for a 6-1 lead, off two hits and one error that allowed two to score. First baseman Jason Perry led off the inning with a single to right field. Centerfielder Wes Rynders then hit a sacrifice bunt to move Perry to second. Second baseman Richard Lewis followed up with a single to right field to put runners at the corners. Right fielder Richard Stockton drew a walk to load the bases. The very next pitch, Georgia Tech scored its first run of the inning off a wild pitch by Gil that allowed Perry to score and move runners to second and third.
UM intentionally walked Teixeira to re-load the bases. Prince was hit by a Gil pitch to force in Lewis from third. Reliever Luke DeBold came in to the game for Gil. Left fielder Jason Basil drove in the next run, Teixeira, on a sacrifice fly out deep to left field. On the tail end of that play, Stockton also came around for another run on a throwing error by UM shortstop Javy Rodriguez.
UM right fielder Manny Crespo chipped away at the Tech lead, 6-2, with a solo home run, his seventh of the season, deep to left field in the bottom of the eighth.
Miami and Georgia Tech continue its three-game series on Sunday, May 7 at 7 p.m. at Mark Light Stadium.
