The Yellow Jackets rallied from a four-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game at 6-6, and the score held until the top of the 11th, when Rutgers added four runs off Tech reliever Chris Hicks. Hicks (0-1) took the loss after giving up three hits and walking two in the inning.
Matthews drove in a pair of runs in the top of the first inning with a two-out, two-run home run off Tech starter David Duncan. Duncan went seven innings, giving up five runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking one, but did not figure into the decision.
Tech narrowed the Scarlet Knights' lead to two when Charlie Blackmon plated Jeff Rowland with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the third inning. Rowland led Tech with three hits and two runs scored in the game.
An RBI groundout by Dan Betteridge pushed Rutgers' lead back to three runs in the top of the fourth inning, but Tech answered in the bottom half of the frame when Derek Dietrich scored on an RBI groundout by Rowland to make the score 4-2.
Rutgers extended its lead to 5-2 in the fifth inning with an RBI single by Victor Cegles and pushed its lead to four runs in the ninth when Luis Feliz hit a leadoff double and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Betteridge and a throwing error by Tech reliever Michael Hutts.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, the Yellow Jackets started to rally, beginning with a pinch-hit double by Jeff Ussery. After Rowland earned a walk off reliever Jason Downey, Thomas Nichols singled to load the bases for Blackmon, who hit into a fielder's choice to score Ussery. Betteridge, the Rutgers shortstop, couldn't handle the throw, thus allowing Rowland to also score on the play. After Downey forced a flyout by Luke Murton, Chase Burnette delivered a pinch-hit, two-run single to tie the game.
Downey gave up four runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits while striking out two in the ninth inning. Rutgers starter Steve Holt tossed seven strong innings, holding Tech to just two runs on six hits while striking out three and walking three, but did not factor into the decision.
Matthews singled to lead off the 11th inning and moved to second on a bunt single by Feliz. A failed pickoff attempt and throwing error by Hicks allowed the two runs to advance. Following a strikeout and intentional walk, Brett Garlick delivered a two-run single to give Rutgers an 8-6 lead. Following a walk and strikeout, Tech reliever Brad Rulon walked Tom Edwards with the bases loaded and Jon Gossard hit an RBI single to cap the scoring for the Scarlet Knights.
Kevin Lillis (1-0) earned the victory by tossing two innings of shutout relief.
The Jackets and Scarlet Knights will continue the series Saturday at 4 p.m. Live stats will be available at Ramblinwreck.com.
2008 GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL
Rutgers at #22 Georgia Tech
Feb. 29, 2008 at Atlanta, Ga. (Russ Chandler Stadium)
Rutgers 10 (2-1)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB Avg.
------------------------------------------------------------
JIMENEZ, Jarred lf....... 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 .188
CEGLES, Victor 2b........ 6 1 2 1 0 3 2 5 0 .286
EDWARDS, Tom 3b.......... 4 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 .267
GOSSARD, Jon c........... 6 0 2 1 0 2 7 1 1 .350
MATTHEWS, Jaren 1b....... 5 3 3 2 0 1 12 2 1 .400
FELIZ, Luis cf........... 4 2 2 0 0 1 5 0 0 .385
BETTERIDGE, Dan ss....... 4 0 0 1 0 2 1 6 0 .118
ANDERSON, D.J. dh........ 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .083
CALLAHAN, Donny ph...... 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .500
GARLICK, Brett rf........ 4 2 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 .133
HOLT, Steve p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 -
PATTERSON, Matt p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 -
DOWNEY, Jason p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
LILLIS, Kevin p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
Totals................... 41 10 11 8 5 12 33 16 6
Georgia Tech 6 (5-1)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB Avg.
------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Rowland cf.......... 5 2 3 1 1 0 2 0 0 .417
Thomas Nichols 2b........ 5 1 1 0 1 0 3 1 2 .381
Charlie Blackmon dh...... 6 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 .303
Luke Murton rf/1b........ 5 0 1 0 1 1 4 0 1 .321
Tony Plagman 1b.......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 3 .261
Jason Garofalo ph....... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Curtis Dupart rf........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333
Chase Burnette ph....... 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 .750
Jay Dantzler rf......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500
Derek Dietrich ss........ 4 1 1 0 1 1 1 4 1 .259
Chris House lf........... 5 0 1 0 0 3 3 1 2 .296
Brad Feltes 3b........... 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 .286
Patrick Long ph/3b...... 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .143
Jason Haniger c.......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 6 5 1 .278
Jeff Ussery ph.......... 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .375
Cole Leonida c.......... 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 .000
David Duncan p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 -
Michael Hutts p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 -
Chris Hicks p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
Brad Rulon p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
Totals................... 44 6 11 5 4 8 33 16 10
Score by Innings R H E
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Rutgers............. 300 110 001 04 - 10 11 2
Georgia Tech........ 001 100 004 00 - 6 11 5
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E - BETTERIDGE(2); HOLT(1); Nichols, T.(2); Dietrich, D.(3); Haniger, J.(1);
Hutts, M.(1); Hicks, C.(1). DP - Rutgers 1; Georgia Tech 1. LOB - Rutgers 6;
Georgia Tech 10. 2B - FELIZ(2); Ussery, J.(1). 3B - Blackmon, C.(1).
HR - MATTHEWS(1). SH - JIMENEZ(1); FELIZ(1); BETTERIDGE(1); Feltes, B.(1).
SB - CEGLES(1); EDWARDS(1); GARLICK(2); Rowland, J.(2); Blackmon, C.(3);
Burnette, C.(1). CS - CEGLES(1); BETTERIDGE(2).
Rutgers IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP ERA
--------------------------------------------------------
HOLT, Steve......... 7.0 6 2 1 3 3 27 31 94 1.29
PATTERSON, Matt..... 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 3 3 13 0.00
DOWNEY, Jason....... 1.0 3 4 1 1 2 7 8 39 6.00
LILLIS, Kevin....... 2.0 2 0 0 0 2 7 7 23 0.00
Georgia Tech IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP ERA
--------------------------------------------------------
David Duncan........ 7.0 5 5 4 1 7 25 28 100 3.43
Michael Hutts....... 2.0 2 1 0 1 1 7 9 28 0.00
Chris Hicks......... 1.1 3 4 4 2 3 7 9 38 15.43
Brad Rulon.......... 0.2 1 0 0 1 1 2 3 12 0.00
Win - LILLIS (1-0). Loss - Hicks, C. (0-1). Save - None
.
WP - HOLT 2(1); Duncan, D.(1). Inherited runners/scored: Rulon, B. 3/2.
Pitches/strikes: HOLT 94/56; PATTERSON 13/9; DOWNEY 39/23; LILLIS 23/15; Duncan,
D. 100/66; Hutts, M. 28/21; Hicks, C. 38/21; Rulon, B. 12/5.
Umpires - HP: Danny Everett 1B: Craig Barron 3B: Steve Manders
Start: 4:02 pm Time: 3:24 Attendance: 1269
Weather: M.Cloudy; 54 deg; Wind S-12mph