March 13, 2011
Box Score | Season Stats (PDF)
ATLANTA -
Maryland was held scoreless through eight innings and No. 25 Georgia Tech capitalized on two-out rallies in the third and fifth innings for a 6-2 win on Sunday afternoon.
Terrapin starting pitcher Eric Potter retired the first seven batters he faced - three by strike out - but a free pass in the third opened the door for the Yellow Jackets. With a runner on and two outs, Potter hit Kyle Wren with a pitch to put men on first and second. Jacob Esch then singled through the right side, scoring Mott Hyde, and Matt Skole followed with a double to the gap in right-center for a 3-0 Tech lead.
Another two-out rally in the fifth doubled Georgia Tech's lead to 6-0. Hyde and Wren reached base in the inning on a pair of bunt singles that sandwiched a DeAndre Smelter strikeout, and Potter induced Esch into a groundout for the second out of the inning. But Skole drew a walk on a full count to load the bases and catcher Zane Evans ripped a double down the right-field line on a 0-2 count to clear the bases.
Georgia Tech (12-4, 3-0 ACC) sophomore right-hander Buck Farmer kept Maryland (8-7, 0-3 ACC) scoreless in his eight innings on the mound, spreading out seven hits and striking out six without issuing a walk.
The Terps had several chances to score, particularly in the top of the third, but were unable to take advantage of three straight hits. Tim Kiene led off the inning with a shot down the left-field line but was thrown out at second by Smelter, the Georgia Tech left fielder, after tripping when rounding first base.
Jake Stinnett singled to left field and with a hit-and-run on, Jack Cleary ripped a liner to third base that bounced off the glove of Skole, the Georgia Tech third baseman. Stinnett had rounded second and continued to third, but the shortstop Esch collected the ball and threw Stinnett out. Alfredo Rodriguez grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
Maryland had two on with no outs in the seventh after Charlie White singled to left-center field and Tomo Delp was hit by a pitch, but Ryan Holland grounded into a double play and Brandon Padula lined out to third base to end the inning.
In the eighth, Kiene got his second hit of the day with a single to left-center field, bringing up Stinnett. Kiene tried to advance to second when Stinnett struck out swinging on a ball in the dirt, but Evans easily threw him out for the second out of the inning. Cleary followed with a double down the right-field line, but Rodriguez lined out to second base and the Terps remained scoreless.
Maryland scored a pair of runs in the ninth on a walk and three hit batters but left two runners stranded as Georgia Tech's Dusty Isaacs struck out Curtis Lazar to end the game.
"We're going to make some young mistakes and some will be because of inexperience," said head coach Erik Bakich. "But we need to make sure that with the new talent we have and the returning players that they get more competitive because right now we're too easy of an out. Whether you're a freshman or a senior, new or old, you have to compete. When you play a ranked opponent like Georgia Tech, they expose your mistakes and capitalize. The margin for error is always thin in the ACC."
The Terps open a seven-game homestand with a pair of 4 p.m. matchups against Liberty on Tuesday and Wednesday.
