April 4, 2009
Box Score
ATLANTA -
No. 3 Georgia Tech scored three times in the bottom of the ninth, and Jason Haniger hit a walk-off grand slam in the 11th to lift the Yellow Jackets to a 10-6 come-from-behind win over No. 5 North Carolina Saturday at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Jeff Rowland, Derek Dietrich, Luke Murton each had three hits for Georgia Tech (19-5, 9-3 ACC), and Murton connected on two of the Jackets' four home runs on the afternoon. Rowland also homered and drove in two.
Mike Cavasinni went 3-for-5, and Ben Bunting and Garrett Gore each added two hits for the Tar Heels (23-7, 8-5 ACC). Gore homered and drove in three runs.
Mark Pope (3-0) earned the win with two scoreless innings out of the Tech pen, while Colin Bates (3-2) took the loss after allowing a season-high four earned runs on five hits.
With the game tied at six, Tech loaded the bases in the 11th on three singles, including two that never left the infield. Haniger then hit a 2-2 pitch from Nate Striz out to center field for the game-winner.
In the first, Gore delivered his third home run of the season to stake the Tar Heels and starter Adam Warren to an early 2-0 lead. After Ben Bunting reached on an error to lead off the game, Gore smacked a 1-2 offering from Zach Von Tersch out to right center.
Tech answered with a long ball of its own in the bottom of the inning when Rowland connected on his fourth homer - a solo shot to center on a 2-0 pitch - to cut Carolina's early lead in half.
Murton belted the third home run of the afternoon and his first of the day in the second to give the Jackets their first lead at 3-2. Matt Skole drew a leadoff walk, and Murton followed with a two-run shot to left center on 1-0 pitch from Warren.
Carolina went back in front in the fourth on run-scoring hits from
Mark Fleury and Cavasinni.
Kyle Seager reached second on a two-base error by Tony Plagman, and Fleury followed with an RBI double to right center to tie the score at three.
Ryan Graepel singled to move Fleury to third, and Cavasinni roped the next pitch to right to score Fleury with the go-ahead run.
Both pitching staffs took over from there, as the teams combined for just two singles over the next four innings.
The Tar Heels finally broke through again in the ninth with a pair of insurance runs. Cavasinni singled for the second time, swiped second and scored on Bunting's double down the left field line. Gore followed with a single to right center to drive in Bunting from second for a 6-3 UNC lead.
Those two runs proved to be huge, as the Jackets sent the game to extras with three in the bottom of the frame. Murton brought Tech within two in the bottom of the ninth with his second home run of the day - a solo shot to left on a 1-1 pitch from UNC lefty relief ace Brian Moran, who fanned four in 2 1/3 innings.
Bates quickly picked up out No. 2 but allowed a single and a walk to put the tying runs on base. Rowland dropped a single into shallow center to trim the lead to 6-5, and Derek Dietrich tied things up with a bloop single to left.
Bates set down three in a row after an error in the 10th, but allowed back-to-back one-out singles in the 11th before Striz entered. Rowland singled to short to load the bases for Haniger, who connected on his third home run.
Both starters pitched well but neither figured into the decision thanks to the late-inning drama. Warren matched a season-best with eight strikeouts for the third time and held the Yellow Jackets to just four hits over six innings. He allowed three runs - all on early-inning home runs - and walked four. Warren retired the final six batters he faced, gave up no more than one hit in an inning and did not surrender a base hit after the fourth.
Von Tersch lasted five innings for the Yellow Jackets and allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits.
Saturday's crowd of 4,186 was the sixth-largest in Georgia Tech history and the most fans to ever see an ACC game in Atlanta.
The Tar Heels and Yellow Jackets wrap up the series at 1 p.m. Sunday. The game will be broadcast by the Tar Heel Sports Network on AM-1360 WCHL and 850 The Buzz and online at TarHeelBlue.com.
