ECU Eliminates Georgia Tech, 10-3
May 31, 2003 | Baseball
By KEITH PARSONS
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) -- With the bases loaded in a tie game, East Carolina had the right guy at the plate.
Darryl Lawhorn hit a grand slam in the seventh and the Pirates beat Georgia Tech 10-3 Saturday in an elimination game in the NCAA regional in Atlanta.
Lawhorn's 14th homer of the season capped a five-run inning for East Carolina (34-26-1), which has to win another game later in the day to make it to Sunday. The Pirates will face the loser of Saturday's Stetson-South Carolina matchup this evening at 7 p.m.
"Darryl's been clutch for us all year,'' East Carolina coach Randy Mazey said. "He's definitely the guy we want at the plate in that situation.''
The Yellow Jackets (44-18) were the No. 3 national seed but lost two in a row at home; last year, they reached the College World Series for the first time since 1994.
Things went so badly for Georgia Tech that starting pitcher Kyle Bakker (8-3) was forced to bat for the first time in his career. Catcher Andy Hawranick left in the fourth after slamming his head into the railing by the dugout steps while chasing a foul popup. Designated hitter Mike Nickeas came into the lineup as the catcher, putting Bakker in the order.
Bakker struck out to end the sixth. Hawranick lost at least one tooth but wasn't seriously injured.
Glenn Tucker (5-4) took over for starter Ashley Capps with two outs in the first and held Georgia Tech scoreless for the final 8 1-3 innings. He allowed six hits, struck out six and hit three batters.
"As a reliever, you only concentrate on one hitter at a time,'' Tucker said. "I just did that. It was awesome. It's just starting to sink in.''
A reliever most of his career, Tucker started only one game this season and five in his career. He shut down the Yellow Jackets with a sidearm delivery, often freezing batters with a deceptive breaking ball.
"There's not a lot to say except we didn't play good enough to win,'' Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall said. "We couldn't mount any offensive threat against him and they beat us -- period.''
Ryan Jones went 3-for-4 for the Pirates.
East Carolina started its rally against Bakker, who nursed a 3-2 lead into the seventh. Mark Minicozzi led off with a single off the wall in right, and after Kevin O'Sullivan flied out to left, Ben Sanderson walked.
Jamie Paige singled to load the bases, and Ryan Jones walked to force in Minicozzi, tying the game at 3. Brian Burks came in for Bakker and retired Ryan Norwood on a popup to short.
But Lawhorn hit a drive off the light pole in right center, a towering shot that gave the Pirates a lead for the first time in two games.
"I didn't want to hit a grand slam,'' Lawhorn said. "I was just trying to put it in play. I didn't catch all of it, but I knew the ball would carry out there.''
They added three more runs in the eighth on a two-run single by Sanderson and a run-scoring single by Norwood.
"Our team is incredible, the way they never give up,'' Mazey said.
Bakker went 6 1-3 innings and was charged with six runs on seven hits.
"We've been high and low all season,'' he said. "We just didn't do that things that we needed to do.''
Capps got two quick outs in the first before hitting Matt Murton and allowing a single to Nickeas. Remole followed with his second homer in two days -- only his fourth of the year -- and Georgia Tech had a quick 3-0 lead.
Owings and Jeremy Slayden singled before Tucker came on, and Slayden ended the inning when he was caught stealing.
The Yellow Jackets didn't threaten again until the ninth, with Eric Patterson hit a one-out single and moved to third on a double by Steven Blackwood. But Tucker struck out Murton and got Nickeas to fly out to right field, with Sanderson making a diving catch to end the game.
ECU Postgame Notes
