The Yellow Jackets opened the season with a victory for the fourth consecutive season and for the eighth time in 10 years under head coach Danny Hall.
In game one, Bakker (1-0) earned the win on opening day for the second consecutive season after holding Georgia Southern to one run on four hits in six innings of work. He issued just one walk and struck out four batters while allowing just three batters to advance past first base. Brian Burks tossed three shutout innings to close out the game and earn his first save of the season.
The Yellow Jackets took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Tyler Greene homered in his first collegiate at bat. The Eagles tied the score at 1-1 on an RBI double from A.J. Zickgraf in the fourth inning. Tech answered with an RBI double from Mike Nickeas to take a 2-1 lead in the fifth.
Tech broke the game open with four runs in the sixth inning, capped by an RBI double from Greene and an RBI single from Micah Owings. An RBI double from Nickeas in the eighth inning and a RBI single from Steven Blackwood in the ninth provided the final 8-1 margin. Nickeas went 2-for-4 with three RBI, Greene drove in two runs on two hits and Clifton Remole added two hits. Carlos Love had three of Georgia Southern's four hits in the game.
GSU starter Brian Rogers (1-1) took the loss, surrendering six runs in 5.1 innings despite striking out nine batters.
IN GAME TWO, Tech jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Slayden's first home run of the season. The Eagles responded with three runs in the fourth inning, including a home run from Rocky Baker, to take a 3-2 lead.
Tech retook the lead, 6-3, with four runs in the top of the sixth inning on four consecutive RBI singles from Jake Hall, Andy Hawranick, Eric Patterson and Nickeas. The Yellow Jackets added two more runs in the eighth when Patterson hit a solo home run, his first of the season, and Blackwood was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Owings (1-0) picked up the win in relief for the Yellow Jackets by working 3.1 innings of scoreless and hitless relief. Jeff Watchko worked a scoreless ninth inning to close out the game, while starter Chris Goodman did not figure in the decision after allowing three runs in 4.1 innings.
Patterson led the Tech offense with three hits in six at bats, and Nickeas and Hawranick added two hits apiece in the game.
Georgia Southern starter Brian Harrison (1-1) took the loss in game two, allowing five runs in 5.2 innings.
Georgia Tech will return to action on Wednesday at 4 p.m. when the Yellow Jackets travel to Mercer.
#1 GEORGIA TECH at GEORGIA SOUTHERN (Game 1)
Feb 15, 2003 at Statesboro, Ga. (J.I. Clements Stdm.)
GEORGIA TECH 8 (1-0) GEORGIA SOUTHERN 1 (3-1)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Eric Patterson 2b.......... 5 0 1 0 James Payne cf............. 3 0 0 0
Brandon Boggs cf........... 5 0 0 0 Brendan Gilligan lf........ 3 0 0 0
Jeremy Slayden rf.......... 2 2 0 0 Rocky Baker 3b............. 4 0 0 0
Matt Murton lf............. 4 1 0 0 Carlos Love dh............. 4 1 3 0
Micah Owings dh............ 4 1 1 1 A.J. Zickgraf c............ 4 0 1 1
Steven Blackwood dh....... 1 0 1 1 Grant Burruss 1b........... 2 0 0 0
Clifton Remole 1b.......... 4 3 2 0 Trey Hunter pr............ 0 0 0 0
Mike Nickeas c............. 4 0 2 3 Greg Dowling 1b........... 1 0 0 0
Tyler Greene ss............ 4 1 2 2 Mike Economos rf........... 2 0 0 0
Davis Myers 3b............. 4 0 0 0 Brent Stephens ph......... 1 0 0 0
Kyle Bakker p.............. 0 0 0 0 Brandon Long ph/rf........ 0 0 0 0
Brian Burks p............. 0 0 0 0 Adam DeLoach ss............ 3 0 0 0
Brandon Burnsed 2b......... 3 0 0 0
Brian Rogers p............. 0 0 0 0
Dennis Dove p............. 0 0 0 0
Steve Cogswell p.......... 0 0 0 0
Jason Cadenhead p......... 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 37 8 9 7 Totals..................... 30 1 4 1
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
GEORGIA TECH........ 001 014 011 - 8 9 2
GEORGIA SOUTHERN.... 000 100 000 - 1 4 3
-------------------------------------------
E - Myers, D. 2(2); DeLoach(1); Burnsed(1); Rogers(1). DP - GEORGIA TECH 2.
LOB - GEORGIA TECH 8; GA. SOUTHERN 5. 2B - Nickeas, M. 2(2); Greene, T.(1); Zickgraf(2).
HR - Greene, T.(1). HBP - Slayden, J.. SH - Payne(1). SF - Nickeas, M.(1).
SB - Patterson, E 2(2).
GEORGIA TECH IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kyle Bakker W,1-0......... 6.0 4 1 1 1 4 0 1 0 0 21 23 5 8 73
Brian Burks S,1........... 3.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 9 10 1 6 23
GEORGIA SOUTHERN IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Rogers L,1-1........ 5.1 5 6 6 3 9 0 0 0 0 21 24 2 5 99
Dennis Dove ............... 1.2 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 6 8 2 0 32
Steve Cogswell ............ 1.0 1 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 4 5 0 0 23
Jason Cadenhead ........... 1.0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 6 2 0 21
HB - Dove. BK - Bakker, K.(1). Inherited runners/scored: Dove 2/2. Pitches/strikes:
Bakker, K. 73/53; Burks, B. 23/13; Rogers 99/58; Dove 32/20; Cogswell 23/13; Cadenhead
21/15.
Strikeouts - Patterson, E; Boggs, B. 3; Slayden, J.; Murton, M.; Owings, M. 3;
Remole, C. 2; Nickeas, M.; Greene, T. 2; Myers, D. 2; Payne 2; Gilligan; Burruss;
Economos. Walks - Slayden, J. 2; Murton, M.; Remole, C.; Gilligan; Burruss.
Umpires - HP: David Savage 1B: Thomas Price 3B: Eric Johansen
Start: 1:33 pm Time: 2:53 Attendance: 2007
#1 GEORGIA TECH at GEORGIA SOUTHERN (Game 2)
Feb 15, 2003 at Statesboro, Ga. (J.I. Clements Stadm.)
GEORGIA TECH 8 (2-0) GEORGIA SOUTHERN 3 (3-2)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Eric Patterson 2b.......... 6 3 3 2 James Payne cf............. 3 0 0 0
Brandon Boggs cf........... 2 0 0 0 Brandon Williams ph/cf.... 1 0 0 0
Matthew Swain cf.......... 1 0 0 0 Rocky Baker 3b............. 3 1 1 1
Mike Nickeas ph/c......... 2 1 2 1 Brendan Gilligan lf........ 4 1 2 0
Jeremy Slayden rf.......... 4 1 1 2 Matt Hammond dh............ 4 1 2 0
Matt Murton lf............. 4 0 0 0 A.J. Zickgraf c............ 4 0 0 0
Steven Blackwood dh........ 1 0 0 1 Greg Dowling 1b............ 4 0 0 1
Clifton Remole 1b.......... 5 0 0 0 Brandon Burnsed 2b......... 3 0 0 0
Tyler Greene ss............ 5 1 0 0 Adam DeLoach ss............ 3 0 0 0
Jake Hall 3b............... 2 1 1 1 Brandon Long rf............ 1 0 0 0
Andy Hawranick c........... 3 1 2 1 Brent Stephens rf......... 0 0 0 0
Garrett Groce cf.......... 2 0 0 0 Brian Harrison p........... 0 0 0 0
Chris Goodman p............ 0 0 0 0 Kevin Culpepper p......... 0 0 0 0
Micah Owings p............ 0 0 0 0 Steve Cogswell p.......... 0 0 0 0
Jeff Watchko p............ 0 0 0 0 Mike Thompson p........... 0 0 0 0
Jason Cadenhead p......... 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 37 8 9 8 Totals..................... 30 3 5 2
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
GEORGIA TECH........ 200 004 020 - 8 9 1
GEORGIA SOUTHERN.... 000 300 000 - 3 5 3
-------------------------------------------
E - Greene, T.(1); Baker(1); DeLoach 2(3). DP - GEORGIA TECH 1. LOB - GEORGIA TECH
11; GA. SOUTHERN 3. 2B - Patterson, E(1); Gilligan 2(2); Hammond(2). HR - Patterson,
E(1); Slayden, J.(1); Baker(1). HBP - Slayden, J.; Murton, M.; Blackwood, S;
Stephens. SB - Patterson, E(3); Hall, J. 2(2); Hawranick, A(1).
CS - Hall, J.(1); Stephens(1).
GEORGIA TECH IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Goodman ............. 4.2 4 3 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 18 20 1 12 66
Micah Owings W,1-0........ 3.1 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 9 10 2 3 40
Jeff Watchko .............. 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 2 9
GEORGIA SOUTHERN IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Harrison L,1-1...... 5.2 5 5 2 3 4 0 2 0 0 24 27 6 7 103
Kevin Culpepper ........... 1.1 2 1 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 6 7 2 0 33
Steve Cogswell ............ 0.2 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 6 0 0 23
Mike Thompson ............. 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 4
Jason Cadenhead ........... 1.0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 3 4 0 0 24
HB - Owings, M.; Cogswell 2; Thompson. BK - Goodman, C.(1); Harrison 2(1); Culpepper(1).
Inherited runners/scored: Owings, M. 2/0; Culpepper 1/1; Thompson 3/1. Pitches/strikes:
Goodman, C. 66/39; Owings, M. 40/31; Watchko, J. 9/6; Harrison 103/62; Culpepper 33/21;
Cogswell 23/14; Thompson 4/2; Cadenhead 24/12.
Strikeouts - Patterson, E; Boggs, B. 2; Slayden, J.; Murton, M. 3; Greene, T.;
Groce, G. 2; Baker; Gilligan; Zickgraf; Burnsed 2. Walks - Blackwood, S 3; Hall, J.
3; Baker; Stephens.
Umpires - HP: Thomas Price 1B: Eric Johansen 3B: David Savage
Start: 5:02 pm Time: 3:02 Attendance: 2007
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