Jackets win in slugfest

By Jay Jenkins

Published: May 17, 2008

For the first time in over a month, Virginia exploded offensively against an ACC opponent.
Ultimately, it did not matter.
No. 25 Georgia Tech pounded out 19 hits, including eight for extra bases, as it cruised past Virginia 14-8 in the highest-scoring league game at Davenport Field since the facility was renovated in 2002.
With the victory, the Yellow Jackets (37-17, 15-14 ACC) forced a pivotal finale and the rubber match in the series today at noon with the Cavaliers (36-18, 15-14).
“Georgia Tech has shown the ability — and did again tonight — to score runs in bunches and that was the ballgame,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “I thought we put up one of our better offensive days but they had three really big innings and it was tough to recover from that.”
Georgia Tech, which leads the ACC with 86 homers, scored three runs in the third and four runs in the fourth and sixth innings, respectively.
The biggest damage in that flurry came in the fourth inning after the Yellow Jackets went ahead 4-3, chasing Virginia starter Pat McAnaney from the contest with two runners in scoring position and just two outs. McAnaney (4-4) allowed eight hits and six earned runs in 3.2 innings.
After pitching perfectly out of the bullpen Friday in the Cavaliers’ two-run series-opening victory, reliever Andrew Carraway was summoned again to the mound. The move did not pay off this time.
Georgia Tech third baseman Brad Feltes connected on a two-run double and scored on a triple by Tony Plagman as the Yellow Jackets took a four-run lead.
“I brought Carraway in to face Feltes with runners in scoring position and two outs, thinking that he could get him out and we would go back into the dugout down 4-3 with a pretty good pitcher on the mound,” O’Connor said. “I felt good about us offensively so that is why I put Carraway into the game.
“Unfortunately, they got some good swings off of him.”
UVa rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fourth, one of which came on a solo homer by catcher Franco Valdes, to trim the deficit to 7-5, but Georgia Tech struck back during the lengthy sixth inning.
In all, the Yellow Jackets sent eight batters to the plate in the frame as Carraway (2.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER) was also removed earlier than expected.
Both teams managed three runs over the game’s final three innings, the last of which came on the second homer of the game for Virginia first baseman Jeremy Farrell.
For the contest, Farrell finished with eight total bases and three RBI, none of which seemed to matter after the six-run loss snapped the Cavaliers’ three-game win streak.