Back-to-back run-scoring singles from Will Greenberg and Nick Jowers tied the game at 5-5 in the eighth inning before Casario plated the two Terrapins with an opposite-field double to put Maryland up by two.
Dan Gentzler (1-0) faced two Yellow Jackets - one to end the eighth and the other to begin the ninth - and struck out both batters to earn his first win of the season before Brett Tidball closed out the game by forcing a pair of fly outs to pick up his second save.
The Jackets had taken the lead in the top of the eighth inning on a two-run home run by Brad Feltes, his ninth of the season. The Yellow Jacket senior also drove in Tech’s first run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to pull Tech to within 3-1 after Maryland scored three runs in the second inning off Tech starter David Duncan. Thomas Nichols followed Feltes’ sacrifice fly with a run-scoring double to pull within one run of the Terrapins before Maryland starter Scott Swinson forced Chris House to ground out to end the threat.
A solo home run by Luke Murton, his seventh of the season, tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning. Murton went 2-for-4 with a double and home run to lead the Tech offense on the night.
Neither starting pitcher figured into the decision. Duncan limited Maryland to four runs on nine hits while striking out three in seven innings, while Swinson went 7.2 innings and gave up five runs on nine hits. Yellow Jacket reliever Andrew Robinson (2-2) suffered his second loss of the year by giving up three runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits in the eighth inning.
The Jackets and Terrapins continue the series Saturday at 4 p.m. Redshirt junior Eddie Burns is slated to take the mound for Georgia Tech, and Maryland will counter with right-hander Brett Jones.
2008 GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL
#21 Georgia Tech at Maryland
April 18, 2008 at College Park, Md. (Shipley Field)
Georgia Tech 5 (27-11,9-10 ACC)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
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Charlie Blackmon rf...... 4 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0
Jeff Rowland cf.......... 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2
Jeff Ussery ph.......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Derek Dietrich ss........ 3 1 0 0 1 2 1 3 1
Luke Murton dh........... 4 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
Tony Plagman 1b.......... 4 1 1 0 0 2 15 1 0
Brad Feltes 3b........... 3 1 1 3 0 1 1 3 0
Jay Dantzler lf......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Thomas Nichols 2b........ 4 0 2 1 0 1 1 4 0
Chris House lf........... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
Patrick Long ph/3b...... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Jason Haniger c.......... 4 0 1 0 0 1 4 1 0
David Duncan p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Andrew Robinson p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brad Rulon p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 35 5 9 5 2 10 24 14 6
Maryland 7 (23-17,6-13 ACC)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Steve Braun 2b........... 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Jensen Pupa dh........... 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mike Rozak pr........... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mike Murphy 3b........... 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 1
Chad Durakis c........... 4 0 0 0 0 1 9 2 0
Will Greenberg 1b........ 4 1 2 1 0 0 12 0 0
Nick Jowers cf........... 4 2 3 2 0 0 2 0 0
Dan Benick lf............ 3 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
Bill Rice ph/lf......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
AJ Casario rf............ 4 1 3 2 0 1 2 0 2
Joe Palumbo ss........... 4 0 2 1 0 0 1 3 1
Scott Swinson p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Dan Gentzler p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brett Tidball p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 36 7 12 7 0 4 27 11 5
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
Georgia Tech........ 000 201 020 - 5 9 1
Maryland............ 030 000 04X - 7 12 1
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E - Long, P.; Palumbo, J.(8). LOB - Georgia Tech 6; Maryland 5.
2B - Murton, L.(11); Nichols, T. 2(13); Casario, A.(6). HR - Murton, L.(7);
Feltes, B.(9); Jowers, N.(4); Benick, D.(1). SF - Feltes, B.(4).
SB - Casario, A.(5). CS - Palumbo, J.(2).
Georgia Tech IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
--------------------------------------------------
David Duncan........ 7.0 9 4 3 0 3 29 29 98
Andrew Robinson..... 0.2 2 3 1 0 1 5 5 16
Brad Rulon.......... 0.1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 9
Maryland IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
--------------------------------------------------
Scott Swinson....... 7.2 9 5 5 2 8 31 34 115
Dan Gentzler........ 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 12
Brett Tidball....... 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 3
Duncan, D. faced 1 batter in the 8th.
Win - Gentzler, D. (1-0). Loss - Robinson, A. (2-2). Save - Tidball, B. (2).
BK - Duncan, D.(2). Inherited runners/scored: Robinson, A. 1/1; Rulon, B. 2/2;
Gentzler, D. 1/0. Pitches/strikes: Duncan, D. 98/67; Robinson, A. 16/11; Rulon,
B. 9/6; Swinson, S. 115/77; Gentzler, D. 12/10; Tidball, B. 3/3.
Umpires - HP: Tony Gisondi 1B: Greg Street 3B: Tom Baldinelli
Start: 7:00 pm Time: 2:26 Attendance: 468
Weather: Sunny, 78 deg, Wind-Calm