Georgia Tech (21-4) set season highs with 19 runs and 18 hits.
Ryan Turner (2-0) earned the win in relief, working three scoreless and hitless innings. Tech starter Tim Ladd worked four innings and allowed three runs, but did not figure in the decision after leaving the game when the Yellow Jackets had a 17-3 lead.
After the Catamounts (15-10) took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Yellow Jackets responded with 19 unanswered runs. Tech scored one run in the first, five in the second, six in the third, five in the fourth and two in the sixth.
Crancer went 3-for-5 with his third home run of the year. Robbins went 2-for-3 with four RBI, while Hodges added four on a bases-clearing double and a sacrifice fly. Mike Trapani went 3-for-3 with three runs scored, Danny Payne was 2-for-3 with four runs scored, and Jeff Kindel and Andy Hawranick added two hits each.
The Catamounts scored two runs in the eighth inning, including a solo home run from Jonathan Greene, to provide the final 19-5 margin. Greene, Blake Murphy and Steven Strausbaugh each had two hits in the game for Western Carolina.
Western Carolina starter Jeremy Ellenburg (2-1) took the loss, allowing six runs in 1.1 innings. The Catamounts committed four errors in the game.
Georgia Tech visits Maryland for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series this weekend. Gametimes are 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
2006 GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL
Western Carolina at #3 Georgia Tech
March 28, 2006 at Atlanta, Ga. (Russ Chandler Stadium)
Western Carolina 5 (15-10) Georgia Tech 19 (21-4)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Tim Hallam ss.............. 5 1 1 0 Danny Payne cf............. 3 4 2 1
Mitchell Hatley ss........ 0 0 0 0 Chris House ph/cf......... 2 0 0 0
Barrett Shaft cf........... 3 0 0 0 Wes Hodges 3b.............. 2 1 1 4
Andy John ph/cf........... 2 0 0 0 Brad Feltes 3b............ 1 1 0 0
Steven Strausbaugh rf...... 5 1 2 0 Whit Robbins 1b............ 3 1 2 4
Trey McDaniel 1b/3b........ 5 0 0 0 Luke Murton 1b............ 1 1 0 0
Blake Murphy c/1b.......... 3 2 2 2 Matt Wieters dh............ 4 0 1 1
Grey Gregory 2b/lf......... 3 0 1 0 Jason Haniger ph/dh....... 2 0 0 1
Jonathan Greene 3b/c....... 4 1 2 2 Jeff Kindel rf............. 4 1 2 1
Ryan Wilson dh............. 2 0 0 0 Steven Blackwood lf....... 1 0 0 0
Aaron Gabrielian ph/dh.... 1 0 0 0 Wally Crancer lf/rf........ 5 3 3 1
Jason Haynes lf/2b......... 3 0 2 0 Mike Trapani 2b............ 3 3 3 0
Jeremy Ellenburg p......... 0 0 0 0 Ryan Tinkoff ph/2b........ 3 0 0 0
Bryan Tupper p............ 0 0 0 0 Andy Hawranick c........... 4 2 2 2
Corey Martin p............ 0 0 0 0 Nick Scherer ph/c......... 1 0 0 0
Bryan Corbett p........... 0 0 0 0 Michael Fisher ss.......... 2 2 1 2
Andrew Larrimore p........ 0 0 0 0 Russell Harben ph/ss...... 1 0 1 0
Tim Ladd p................. 0 0 0 0
Ryan Turner p............. 0 0 0 0
Chris Hicks p............. 0 0 0 0
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Totals..................... 36 5 10 4 Totals..................... 42 19 18 17
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
Western Carolina.... 300 000 020 - 5 10 4
Georgia Tech........ 156 502 00X - 19 18 0
-------------------------------------------
E - Shaft(1); McDaniel(6); Murphy(4); Haynes(6). DP - W. Carolina 1. LOB - W.
Carolina 8; Georgia Tech 9. 2B - Murphy(11); Hodges, W.(8); Robbins, W.(6); Crancer,
W.(2); Trapani, M.(3); Hawranick, A(1). HR - Greene(3); Crancer, W.(3). HBP -
Gregory; Wilson, R.; Haynes; Feltes, B.. SF - Hodges, W.(2). SB - Murphy(8); Payne, D.(11).
Western Carolina IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeremy Ellenburg L,2-1.... 1.1 4 6 5 2 1 0 0 0 0 8 11 2 1 44
Bryan Tupper .............. 0.2 5 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 7 0 1 31
Corey Martin .............. 2.0 8 6 6 1 1 1 0 0 0 14 15 2 3 57
Bryan Corbett ............. 3.0 1 2 2 2 3 2 0 1 0 10 13 1 5 49
Andrew Larrimore .......... 1.0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 6 3 0 27
Georgia Tech IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Ladd .................. 4.0 7 3 3 1 6 0 0 1 0 18 20 2 3 73
Ryan Turner W,2-0......... 3.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 9 11 1 5 46
Chris Hicks ............... 2.0 3 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 9 9 2 2 31
Tupper faced five batters in the 3rd.
WP - Martin(2); Corbett 2(2). HBP - by Ladd, T. (Gregory); by Turner 2 (Wilson, Haynes);
by Corbett (Feltes, B.). PB - Scherer, N.(1). Inherited runners/scored: Tupper 1/0;
Martin 1/1. Pitches/strikes: Ellenburg 44/23; Tupper 31/19; Martin 57/35; Corbett 49/31;
Larrimore 27/15; Ladd, T. 73/50; Turner, R. 46/31; Hicks, C. 31/21.
Strikeouts - Hallam; Shaft 3; John; McDaniel 2; Greene 2; Wilson, R. 2; House, C.;
Kindel, J.; Hawranick, A; Scherer, N.; Fisher, M.. Walks - Murphy; Payne, D.;
Hodges, W.; Robbins, W.; Murton, L.; Blackwood, S; Crancer, W.; Fisher, M.; Harben, R..
Umpires - HP: Rick Brown 1B: Thomas Price 3B: Jack Martin
Start: 8:18 pm Time: 2:46 Attendance: 962
WCU's Tim Hallam ejected in 8th inning.