WKU Baseball suffered a devastating 9-2 loss at the hands of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first round of the Oxford Regional on Friday.
At the plate, WKU went 9-for-33, struck out nine times and left seven runners on base, including three in scoring position. The Hilltoppers went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
“He [sophomore Yellow Jacket pitcher Tate McKee] was mixing his pitches really well, and he had his fastball and his slider, and his cutter too. When you’re throwing three pitches for a strike in college, you’re going to succeed,” said freshman shortstop Reid Howard.
The Hilltoppers were charged with one error, but their defensive performance featured many miscues, including two inaccurate throws to first and a dropped pop fly in right field.
“We gave them seven freebies and five runs, so when you’re facing anybody, much less someone who won the ACC regular season and can hit the way they hit, a lot of things aren’t going to go your way,” said Head Coach Marc Rardin.
WKU left two runners on base to kick off the first inning. Georgia Tech put the afternoon’s first runs on the board in the bottom frame with a three-run home run from freshman two-way player Alex Hernandez, giving the Yellow Jackets a 3-0 lead.
Following a leadoff double from junior designated hitter Camden Ross, the Hilltoppers went down in order, closing out the top of the second. In the bottom half, senior right fielder Ethan Lizama dropped a pop fly, putting sophomore third baseman Carson Kerce on base, who later scored to extend the Yellow Jacket lead to 4-0.
Senior center fielder Ryan Wideman drew a two-out four-pitch walk in the third inning but was caught stealing second. After giving up two singles, the Hilltoppers threw a double play to close out the third.
The Hilltoppers left another runner on base, their fourth of the game, at the top of the fourth. Georgia Tech went three up, three down in the bottom frame.
Freshman shortstop Reid Howard hit a lead-off single at the top of the fifth but couldn’t capitalize as he was picked off at first base. The Yellow Jackets left two on base after senior second baseman Austin Haller made a diving play to secure the last out of the bottom half.
The Hilltoppers went three up, three down in the sixth. Freshman Taylor Penn came in relief at the bottom of the inning after Georgia Tech posted back-to-back hits. An RBI bunt single from Kerce brought home sophomore catcher Vahn Lackey, widening the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 5-0.
After back-to-back singles, Howard brought home the first Hilltopper run with a single to left field, cutting the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 5-1. Senior right-hander Treyson Peters relieved Penn in the bottom half. The Yellow Jackets added another run after Peters’ throwing error to first allowed junior shortstop Kyle Lodise to score, making the score 6-1. Sophomore left-hander Zach Lyles replaced Peters with one out in the inning, retiring the next two batters.
The Hilltoppers added another run in the eighth with a sac fly from senior first baseman Kyle Hayes, bringing the score to 6-2. Hernandez hit his second three-run home run in the eighth, extending the Yellow Jacket lead to 9-2.
The Hilltoppers couldn’t get another run on the board at the top of the ninth, giving the Yellow Jackets the 9-2 win.
WKU Baseball will face the loser of Ole Miss vs Murray State Saturday, May 31.
Sports Reporter David Quintanilla can be reached at [email protected].
