UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA BULLDOGS vs. GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS

Atlanta, GA - Lyle Allen had three hits, including a run-scoring single to break a ninth-inning tie, lifting 15th-ranked Georgia past No. 7 Georgia Tech, 7-5, Tuesday night at Turner Field in the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Spring Baseball Classic.

Georgia (35-17) won its second straight game on the heels of an eight-game losing streak, while Georgia Tech fell to 33-13-1 before a crowd of 24,665 that watched the 347th meeting between the two teams. The win also was the fifth straight for the Bulldogs over Tech in the annual Turner Field contest.

It was the sixth highest attendance for a regular-season game in NCAA history, and the second highest in the eight years of the Spring Baseball Classic at Turner Field.

"It was a good ball game. I was pleased that we came from behind," said Tech coach Danny Hall. "Give them credit. They seemed to get big hits when they had guys in scoring position. We struggled a little with that, but I thought it was a pretty well-played ballgame all the way around."

Georgia, which led for most of the game before a three-run Tech rally in the seventh tied it, scored the winning runs against Yellow Jacket reliever Zach Brewster (1-3), the sixth Tech pitcher of the night.

Brewster had come on to kill a Bulldog threat in the eighth inning, but gave up a one-out double to Rich Poythress to start the rally. After an intentional walk to Bryce Massanari, Allen drilled his third hit of the game to center field, scoring Poythress. Pinch-runner Peter Verdin also scored when center fielder Jeff Rowland's throw to third bounced past Matt Skole.

"After (starting pitcher Zach Von Tersch), we were mixing and matching, matching righties with righties and lefties with lefties," said Hall. "But in the end, I felt like we had one of our better bullpen guys in there trying to keep it in check with the score tired, but we weren't able to do that tonight."

Dean Weaver (3-2), the sixth Georgia pitcher, got the win by getting the last four outs. He came on in the eighth with a Tech runner at third to force Derek Dietrich into a fly ball for the third out, and then set the Jackets down in the ninth.

"I thought we were in position maybe to take the lead in the eighth, but they got a strikeout on a good pitch," said Hall. "(Poythress) nearly hit one out in the ninth, and I didn't want Massanari to beat us. He's a clutch hitter. Allen got the big hit, and the error gave them another run."

Georgia touched Von Tersch for five runs in four innings, three earned, taking a 5-2 lead. Meanwhile, Tech had only one hit through the first five innings while the Bulldogs got excellent relief work from Justin Earls and Jeff Walters, who combined to retire 10 straight Yellow Jacket hitters at one point.

A pair of singles to lead off the Tech sixth resulted in nothing, but the Yellow Jackets got to reliever Will Harvil, Georgia's fourth pitcher of the night, for three runs in the seventh to tie the game at 5-5. Harvil walked Dietrich and Luke Murton with one out to set up a run-scoring single by Tony Plagman, closing the gap to 5-3. Jason Haniger singled to center, but Murton was thrown out at home. After Michael Pallazone came on to replace Harvil on the mound, Chase Burnette blooped a single to left field, scoring Plagman and Haniger to tie the game.

Georgia starter Cecil Tanner lasted just 1 1/3 innings despite giving up just one hit, but he walked two and hit two batters, aiding in Tech scoring twice in the second.

Georgia struck first when Colby May was hit by a pitch in the first inning and came around to score on Lyle Allen's single. Tech answered with a pair of runs in its half of the second, using a walk, a balk, a hit batter and an error to score twice and take a 2-1 lead.

It didn't last long, however, when Massanari belted a two-run homer in the third, his 19th of the season, giving Georgia a 3-2 lead. The Bulldogs added a pair of runs in the fourth on Matt Cerione's two-run single for a 5-2 lead.

Tech returns to conference play this weekend with its regular-season finale at Duke. Game times are at 7 p.m. Thursday, 2 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday. The Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament begins the following Wednesday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C.

Game & team information

Date: May 12, 2009

Division: NCAA Baseball

Location: Atlanta, GA

Field: Turner Field

Attendance: 24,665

Starting time: 7:05 PM

Score

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

R

H

E

Bulldogs

1

0

2

2

0

0

0

0

2

7

10

2

Yellow Jackets

0

2

0

0

0

0

3

0

0

5

6

2

Box scores / batting

University of Georgia Bulldogs

AB

R

H

RBI

Matt Cerione (CF)

5

0

1

2

Colby May (3B)

4

2

1

0

Rich Poythress (1B)

5

1

1

0

Bryce Massanari (DH)

4

1

2

2

Peter Verdin (PR)

0

1

0

0

Lyle Allen (LF / RF)

4

0

3

2

Joey Lewis (C)

5

0

0

0

Zach Cone (RF)

3

1

2

0

Johnathan Taylor (PH / LF)

1

0

0

0

Levi Hyams (SS)

2

1

0

0

Michael Demperio (2B)

1

0

0

0

David Thoms (PH / 2B)

2

0

0

0

Adam Fuller (PH)

1

0

0

0

Miles Starr (2B)

0

0

0

0

University of Georgia Bulldogs totals:

37

7

10

6

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

AB

R

H

RBI

Jeff Rowland (CF)

5

0

0

0

Derek Dietrich (SS)

3

1

0

0

Luke Murton (RF)

2

0

0

0

Tony Plagman (1B)

5

1

1

1

Jason Haniger (C)

4

1

2

0

Jay Dantzler (PR)

0

0

0

0

Chase Burnette (DH)

4

1

2

2

Matt Skole (3B)

4

0

1

0

Thomas Nichols (2B)

4

1

0

1

Chris House (LF)

2

0

0

0

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets totals:

33

5

6

4

Box scores / pitching

University of Georgia Bulldogs

IP

H

R

ER

BB

SO

HR

Cecil Tanner

1 1/3

1

2

1

2

2

0

Justin Earls

3

0

0

0

0

3

0

Jeff Walters

1 2/3

2

0

0

0

3

0

Will Harvil

2/3

2

3

3

2

0

0

Michael Palazzone

1

1

0

0

0

2

0

Dean Weaver

1 1/3

0

0

0

1

1

0

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

IP

H

R

ER

BB

SO

HR

Zach Von Tersch

4

6

5

3

1

2

1

Kevin Jacob

1

1

0

0

0

2

0

Jack Davies

1

1

0

0

0

1

0

Patrick Long

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

Mark Pope

1/3

0

0

0

2

1

0

Zach Brewster

1 2/3

2

2

1

2

4

0

Additional stats

Winning Pitcher: Dean Weaver (3 - 2)

Losing Pitcher: Zach Brewster (1 - 3)

Save: none

Batters faced: Cecil Tanner 9, Justin Earls 10, Jeff Walters 8, Will Harvil 5, Michael Palazzone 5, Dean Weaver 5, Zach Von Tersch 20, Kevin Jacob 4, Jake Davies 4, Patrick Long 3, Mark Pope 3, Zach Brewster 9

Pitches counts: Cecil Tanner 38, Justin Earls 39, Jeff Walters 23, Will Harvil 22, Michael Palazzone 15, Dean Weaver 29, Zach Von Tersch 75, Kevin Jacobs 13, Jake Davies 18, Patrick Long 12, Mark Pope 15, Zach Brewster 40

Wild Pitch: Jeff Walters (4)

Passed Ball: none

Hit By Pitch: Colby May (by Zach Von Tersch), Luke Murton (by Cecil Tanner), Chris House (by Cecil Tanner), Luke Murton (by Jeff Walters)

Balks: Justin Earls (1)

Strikeouts: Matt Cerione, Colby May, Rich Poythress, Bryce Massanari 2, Lyle Allen, Joey Lewis 2, Johnathan Taylor, Michael Demperio, Adam Fuller, Jeff Rowland 2, Derek Dietrich, Luke Murton, Tony Plagman 2, Jason Haniger, Chase Burnette, Matt Skole 3

Walks: Bryce Massanori, Lyle Allen, Johnathan Taylor, Levi Hyams 2, Derek Dietrich 2, Luke Murton, Jason Haniger, Chase Burnette

Intentional Walks: Bryce Massanari

Stolen Bases: Derek Dietrich (5)

Caught Stealing: none

2B: Rich Poythress (14), Lyle Allen (8)

3B: none

Home Run(s): Bryce Massanari (19)

Left on Base: University of Georgia Bulldogs - 9, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets - 10

Double plays: University of Georgia Bulldogs - 0, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets - 0

Errors: Johnathan Taylor (3), Michael Demperio (14), Jeff Rowland (4), Derek Dietrich (11)

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