Clifton Remole was even more thrilled to finish it off.
Owings hit a run-scoring grounder in the top of the 13th inning and Remole added a three-run double, leading the top-seeded Yellow Jackets to an 11-7 victory against Clemson in the tournament winners' bracket.
Remole knew one run wouldn't be enough in the 13th.
``They started me off with offspeed stuff all night,'' he said. ``I was looking for that, and that's what he gave me. I got my pitch.''
When Whit Robbins added an RBI single, the Yellow Jackets were on their way to a game against either Florida State or Duke, who played in the late game, for a chance to defend last year's championship.
``This just gets us a step closer,'' said Yellow Jackets coach Danny Hall, whose team won a triple-header for the title in 2003. ``I don't know what it is about Salem we like to play a lot of innings on this field.''
It seemed fitting for Owings to drive in the game-winner. He took a four-hitter into the ninth and hadn't allowed any hits since the second inning, but a pitch count that reached 146 caught up with him. The Tigers scored three times in the bottom of the ninth to tie it at 6-all.
``I was disappointed in myself,'' Owings said.
The Tigers' improbable rally started with one out when Tyler Colvin and Russell Triplett singled. After Remole made a diving snag of pinch-hitter John Ingram's sinking line drive to right for the second out, Owings gave up a run-scoring double to Tony Sipp, who had walked three times, and a game-tying double to the wall in left-center to Travis Storrer. Storrer's third hit came on Owings' 142nd pitch.
He threw four more, intentionally walking McCann, before Nick Wagner came on and got Lou Santangelo to ground out to end the inning.
Hall defended sticking with Owings despite the pitch count.
``I totally trusted him in the ninth even though I knew he was pitched out and tired,'' he said. ``I'd do it all over again.''
Owings switched to designated hitter after he was removed.
Owings' grounder in the 13th was fielded by third baseman Brad McCann, who hesitated to make the throw to first, looked toward home, then threw wildly to first as Eric Patterson raced down the line from third base.
``I thought about going home,'' McCann said. ``Patterson's a fast runner. I looked home and I knew I didn't have a play there and tried to force it to first and threw it over his head. I kind of double-clutched.''
After Brandon Boggs was intentionally walked to load the bases, Remole pulled the next pitch from Patrick Hogan (2-3) inside the line.
John Goodman (4-1) allowed a run in the bottom of the inning, but the top-seeded Yellow Jackets held for their 19th consecutive victory.
The Tigers (35-23) will play North Carolina State in an elimination game Friday that begins at 10 a.m., about 12 hours after this one ended.
``We'll have to see what we're made of,'' Leggett said.
The rally against Hogan (2-3) came four innings after Owings couldn't complete a pitching gem, allowing three runs in the bottom of the ninth that tied it, and after subsequent threats by both teams fizzled.
``We had four opportunities in extra innings, but we just couldn't quite finish it off,'' Clemson coach Jack Leggett said.
Clemson got a triple from Tony Sipp and an RBI double from Travis Storrer in its half, but McCann popped out and Lou Santangelo made the final out, Boggs catching his long drive against the centerfield fence.
It was a wild ending that kept fans from both teams in their seats.
Before fading, Owings had been masterful, allowing three hits and a three-run homer in the first, then holding the Tigers hitless from a one-out single in the second until the ninth. He struck out nine, walked four and even drove in a run and then scored the run to tie it in the sixth.
Trailing 3-0 before it came to bat, Georgia Tech got one back in the third, two more in the sixth and went ahead 4-3 in the seventh when No. 9 hitter Mike Trapani homered just inside the left-field foul pole.
It was just the fourth home run of the year for Trapani.
Georgia Tech extended its edge to 6-3 in the eighth on Mike Nickeas' RBI single and a sacrifice fly to center by Patterson, his only other hit.
Earlier, Nickeas tripled and scored on Whit Robbins' groundout in the third, and Owings doubled home one run in the sixth and scored from second on a pair of wild pitches by Tigers starter Robert Rohrbaugh.
The Tigers did some fast damage against Owings in the first as Sipp walked leading off, Storrer singled and McCann hit his 14th homer.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/5/158387