The Cavaliers managed just five hits in the game, but three of those were home runs - the two from Reynolds and a two-run blast from Joe Koshansky.
Virginia's Casey Lambert (2-0) earned the win in relief after working three scoreless innings to close out the game, facing just one batter over the minimum. Lambert and starter Andrew Dobies held the Yellow Jackets to six hits and a total of nine baserunners in the game. Dobies worked the first six innings and allowed three runs on four hits while striking out six.
The Cavaliers jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Koshansky's seventh home run of the year, a two-out shot over the center field wall. Tech leadoff hitter Brandon Boggs made the score 2-1 in the bottom of the first when he blasted the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for his third home run of the season.
From there, both starting pitchers settled in to keep the opposing offenses in check. Tech's Micah Owings retired 13 of 15 batters from the end of the first through the fifth before Reynolds led off the sixth with a solo home run to left center field to give the Cavaliers a 3-1 lead.
Meanwhile, Dobies retired 15 of the next 18 batters after surrendering the leadoff home run to Boggs before the Yellow Jackets broke through for two runs in the sixth inning to tie the score at 3-3. Boggs walked to lead off the inning and stole second base. After the next two batters made outs, Mike Nickeas laced a RBI single to center field to drive in Boggs. Owings followed with a RBI double off the left center field wall that scored Nickeas and tied the game.
Reynolds' second home run of the game and fifth of the season, a solo shot in the top of the eighth inning, broke the tie and gave Virginia a 4-3 lead.
Owings dropped to 2-2 despite a solid effort in his fifth start of the year. The right-hander worked a season-high 7.2 innings and allowed four runs on five hits, including three home runs, while striking out seven. Ryan Self retired all four batters he faced in relief.
Tech had just six hits in the game, including two each from Boggs and Nickeas.
Georgia Tech and Virginia continue the three-game series on Saturday at 1 p.m.
2004 GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL
VIRGINIA at #17 GEORGIA TECH
March 12, 2004 at Atlanta, Ga. (Russ Chandler Stadium)
VIRGINIA 4 (15-2,1-0 ACC) GEORGIA TECH 3 (9-7,0-1 ACC)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Matt Street rf............. 4 0 0 0 Brandon Boggs cf........... 3 2 2 1
Mark Reynolds ss........... 3 3 2 2 Eric Patterson 2b.......... 4 0 0 0
Ryan Zimmerman 3b.......... 4 0 1 0 Wes Hodges 3b.............. 4 0 0 0
Joe Koshansky 1b........... 4 1 1 2 Mike Nickeas c............. 4 1 2 1
Matt Dunn lf............... 4 0 1 0 Micah Owings p/dh.......... 4 0 1 1
Josh Darby dh.............. 4 0 0 0 Tyler Greene ss............ 2 0 0 0
Scott Headd c.............. 3 0 0 0 Clifton Remole 1b.......... 4 0 0 0
Kyle Werman 2b............. 2 0 0 0 Jake Hall rf............... 3 0 0 0
Mike Mitchell cf........... 3 0 0 0 Steven Blackwood lf........ 3 0 1 0
Andrew Dobies p............ 0 0 0 0 Ryan Self p............... 0 0 0 0
Casey Lambert p........... 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 31 4 5 4 Totals..................... 31 3 6 3
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
VIRGINIA............ 200 001 010 - 4 5 0
GEORGIA TECH........ 100 002 000 - 3 6 1
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E - Remole, C.(2). DP - VIRGINIA 2; GEORGIA TECH 1. LOB - VIRGINIA 3; GEORGIA TECH
5. 2B - Owings, M.(3). HR - Reynolds 2(5); Koshansky(7); Boggs, B.(3). HBP - Headd;
Greene, T.. SB - Dunn(1); Boggs, B.(6). CS - Greene, T.(3).
VIRGINIA IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
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Andrew Dobies ............. 6.0 4 3 3 3 6 0 0 1 0 21 25 5 6 99
Casey Lambert W,2-0....... 3.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 10 10 2 4 42
GEORGIA TECH IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micah Owings L,2-2........ 7.2 5 4 4 2 7 0 0 1 0 27 30 8 7 108
Ryan Self ................. 1.1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 4 0 2 12
HBP - by Dobies (Greene, T.); by Owings, M. (Headd). Inherited runners/scored: Self, R.
1/0. Pitches/strikes: Dobies 99/54; Lambert 42/27; Owings, M. 108/69; Self, R. 12/9.
Strikeouts - Reynolds; Koshansky 3; Dunn; Darby; Headd 2; Mitchell; Patterson, E;
Owings, M.; Greene, T. 2; Remole, C.; Hall, J. 2; Blackwood, S. Walks - Reynolds;
Werman; Boggs, B.; Greene, T.; Hall, J..
Umpires - HP: Ron Sebastian 1B: Bryant Woodall 3B: David Pritchett
Start: 4:03 pm Time: 2:25 Attendance: 1271