Georgia Tech can clinch the ACC regular season championship with a win over Maryland on Sunday afternoon in the series finale. Virginia (18-6 ACC) has already completed its regular season schedule, and the Cavaliers currently stand in second place but would win the regular season title by percentage points with a Tech loss to Maryland on Sunday.
Kown (9-1) worked six shutout innings, allowing just four hits and no walks while striking out five. He faced four batters over the minimum and left the game after throwing just 81 pitches in preparation for next week's ACC Tournament. Kown improved to 8-0 in his last 12 starts, including a 5-0 mark in his last six starts with wins over Washington, Florida State, NC State, Clemson and Maryland.
Tech's 15 runs and 19 hits were a season-high against an ACC opponent. Blackwood paced the Tech offense with a 4-for-6 performance. Brandon Boggs went 3-for-4 with three RBI, and Mike Trapani and Clifton Remole each went 3-for-5. The Yellow Jackets played their 23rd errorless game of the season.
Eric Patterson had two hits and stole two bases, raising his career stolen base total to 119. The junior is eight stolen bases shy of the Georgia Tech and ACC career record of 127, held by former Yellow Jacket Ty Griffin. Patterson's season total of 43 thefts is seven shy of the Tech single season record of 50, set by Griffin in 1986.
Georgia Tech struck for a 4-0 lead in the third inning. Trapani reached on an error and Patterson legged out an infield single before Steven Blackwood laced a double to right center field that scored both runners. Blackwood scored on Boggs' two-out, RBI double, and Boggs scored the final run of the inning on a double steal attempt when Remole got caught in a rundown between first and second bases.
The Yellow Jackets added three more runs, all with two outs, in the top of the fifth inning to extend the lead to 7-0. Blackwood singled and Micah Owings was hit by a pitch, and Boggs followed with an RBI single. Remole singled to drive in Owings, and Boggs scored the third run of the inning when Maryland center fielder Brian Jarosinski misplayed the ball.
A two-out, two-run single from Tyler Greene and an RBI double from Blackwood gave the Yellow Jackets a 10-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Mike Trapani added a two-out RBI single in the seventh to make the score 11-0.
Jarosinski singled and scored on Bobby Ryan's RBI groundout to get the Terrapins on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh inning, 11-1.
Tech added three runs in the top of the eighth on an RBI double from Boggs and a pinch-hit two-run single from Jake Hall to make the score 14-1. Trapani added a solo home run, his third of the year and second in as many games, in the top of the ninth inning.
Maryland starter Chris Clem (2-7) took the loss, allowing 10 runs on 12 hits in six innings. The Terrapins' Will Frazier and Dan Melvin each had two hits in the loss.
Georgia Tech and Maryland will conclude the three-game series at Ripken Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the final regular season game for both teams.
2004 GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL
GEORGIA TECH at MARYLAND
May 22, 2004 at Aberdeen, Md. (Ripken Stadium)
GEORGIA TECH 15 (37-17,17-5 ACC) MARYLAND 1 (21-31,4-19 ACC)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Eric Patterson 2b.......... 5 2 2 0 Maropis, Matt dh........... 4 0 1 0
Cameron Lane ph/2b........ 1 0 1 0 Buffone, Anthony 3b........ 4 0 0 0
Tyler Greene ss............ 5 2 1 2 Frazier, Will lf........... 4 0 2 0
Steven Blackwood lf........ 6 2 4 3 Hart, Kevin 1b............. 4 0 1 0
Micah Owings dh............ 5 2 1 0 Jarosinski, Brian cf....... 4 1 1 0
Brandon Boggs cf........... 4 3 3 3 Mehl, Truan rf............. 4 0 1 0
Clifton Remole rf.......... 5 1 3 1 Melvin, Dan 2b............. 4 0 2 0
Whit Robbins 1b............ 3 0 0 0 Ryan, Bobby c.............. 4 0 0 1
Jake Hall ph.............. 1 0 1 2 Singletary, Elliot ss...... 3 0 0 0
Mike Nickeas 1b........... 0 0 0 0 Clem, Chris p.............. 0 0 0 0
Andy Hawranick c........... 5 0 0 0 Baron, Casey p............ 0 0 0 0
Mike Trapani 3b............ 5 3 3 2 Hulse, Justin p........... 0 0 0 0
Andrew Kown p.............. 0 0 0 0
Jared Hyatt p............. 0 0 0 0
John Goodman p............ 0 0 0 0
Ryan Self p............... 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 45 15 19 13 Totals..................... 35 1 8 1
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
GEORGIA TECH........ 004 033 131 - 15 19 0
MARYLAND............ 000 000 100 - 1 8 3
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E - Buffone(4); Hart(8); Jarosinski(3). LOB - GEORGIA TECH 7; MARYLAND 7. 2B -
Blackwood, S 2(19); Boggs, B. 2(13); Frazier(16); Melvin 2(15). HR - Trapani, M.(3).
HBP - Owings, M.. SB - Patterson, E 2(43); Trapani, M.(2). CS - Boggs, B.(7);
Remole, C.(2).
GEORGIA TECH IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
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Andrew Kown W,9-1......... 6.0 4 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 22 22 7 6 83
Jared Hyatt ............... 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 2 1 16
John Goodman .............. 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 5 1 1 16
Ryan Self ................. 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 1 8
MARYLAND IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clem, Chris L,2-7......... 6.0 12 10 6 1 2 0 0 1 0 29 31 7 7 105
Baron, Casey .............. 2.0 5 4 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 11 13 4 1 52
Hulse, Justin ............. 1.0 2 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 0 19
HBP - by Clem (Owings, M.). PB - Hawranick, A(3). Inherited runners/scored: None.
Pitches/strikes: Kown, A. 83/57; Hyatt, J. 16/10; Goodman, J. 16/12; Self, R. 8/6; Clem
105/68; Baron 52/28; Hulse 19/14.
Strikeouts - Greene, T. 2; Blackwood, S; Owings, M.; Hawranick, A; Maropis 2; Hart
2; Melvin 2; Ryan. Walks - Greene, T.; Boggs, B.; Robbins, W..
Umpires - HP: Tim Clougherty 1B: Richie Tallent 3B: Gerald Trexler
Start: 7:03 pm Time: 2:46 Attendance: 3162