Baseball adds to streak

The Jackets (16-2, 6-0 ACC) opened up the weekend by defeating Wake Forest 15-5 on Friday night. Tech held off a late-inning rally by the Deacons to preserve a 16-14 victory before finishing off the weekend with a 16-5 victory to sweep the series.

Tech has won 22 consecutive wins in the conference, which is a new ACC record.

The victories also gave Head Coach Danny Hall his 500th win with the Jackets. Hall ' s career record currently stands at 708-330, and he is 500-213 at Tech.

Jason Neighborgall continued his strong start to the season with another solid outing. The ace pitched six innings, giving up only one earned run and two runs overall. He allowed three hits and five walks while striking out six.

In the first game freshman Matt Weiters hit a solo home run in the third inning before the Jackets and Deacons traded runs during the fifth and six innings. Wake Forest rallied in the top of the seventh inning to score three runs on four hits and close the gap to 7-5.

The Jackets responded in the bottom half of the inning when Wes Hodges hit a solo home run. Matt Weiters followed up with a single to right field and was later driven home by a Mike Trapani single.

With the bases loaded in the seventh, Tyler Greene hit an inside-the-park grand slam. Greene was aided by the left fielder, who stopped to argue that the play should be ruled a ground-rule double. The six runs in the inning expanded the Jackets lead to a comfortable 13-5 margin.

The next day the two teams met up in a game that had 30 runs scored on 34 hits and seven errors between the two schools. The Jackets were able to fend off a ninth-inning rally to ward off the Deacons 16-14.

With the score of 10-9 in favor of Wake Forest, Tim Gustafson went to the mound to try to relieve Tech. Gustafson worked two and two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run on three hits before handing over the game to Jordan Crews who picked up his second save of the season by recording the final four outs of the game.

The Jackets responded with three runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to give them an advantage that would hold out against a four-run rally for Wake in the ninth inning.

" We just keep trying to get them out, and you are waiting to get that third out in the ninth, " Hall said. " They can swing the bats very well as well. The conditions were offensive with the wind blowing out. "

The Jackets were in for a milestone day on Sunday. Tech awarded a plaque to Hall before the game to commemorate his 700th career win as a collegiate manager.

The Jackets scored in double figures for a school record eighth consecutive game, including 15 or more in each of the past six.

The win also set the ACC record for most consecutive conference wins with 22.

Wake Forest scored four runs in the first inning to take the early lead, but Blake Wood settled down and then pitched five scoreless innings.

" We changed the way that we were pitching them, " Hall said. " We had one idea on how we were going to try to get them out. Then we totally changed the way that we were going to pitch to their hitters. To [Wood ' s] credit, he did a great job executing those pitches. "

The Jackets scored an impressive nine runs in the second to take the lead for good.

Jeremy Slayden and Whit Robbins both singled with one out in the inning before Wake Forest ' s Matt Hammond walked Andy Hawranick to load the bases. Hammond then proceeded to walk in Greene to drive in the first run of the ball game for the Jackets.

Blackwood doubled down the right field line to empty the bases and give the Jackets the lead as well as what would ultimately be the game winning hit. Wes Hodges singled to drive in yet another run and open up the wound a bit more before the Deacon ' s tried to frantically get their bullpen ready. Kindell homered to center field on the following pitch to put the Jackets up 9-4. After Hammond walked Slayden, the Deacon ' s brought in Charlie Mellies to finally end the inning.

Wood was relieved by Weiters in the seventh, who closed out the game for the Jackets and secured the win.

" I got the win for the game when he got his 700th win, so to be out there to finish the game for his 500th [win at Tech] is a great feeling, " Weiters said.

" Any time you give up runs early, you hope you can answer the call, " Hall said. " That ' s been one of the things that this team has done all year. If somebody scores, it seems like we always come in and get some runs. It ' s big to be able to not only get runs but also take the lead. "

The Jackets added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Greene hit his second grand slam of the weekend to bring the game to the final margin of 16-5.

" It ' s another weekend in the league and you have to be ready to go each weekend, " Hall said. " Fortunately, we have a chance to play at home and I ' m excited about that. I look forward to playing [N.C. State]. "

The Jackets will be continuing their home stand over the weekend with a series against ACC foe N.C. State before facing Auburn at home on Tuesday.