GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Georgia Tech played its high card Saturday night. Florida trumped it.
Sending out ace Buck Farmer to tangle with Florida, the Yellow Jackets fell 6-2 in a winner’s bracket game in the NCAA Gainesville regional. To win their first regional since 2006, the Jackets will need to win three games in a row, starting with an elimination game against College of Charleston at noon on Sunday. That would be followed by two more against the Gators, the nation’s No. 1 team, in their own park.
Tech had its chances to upset Florida and starter Hudson Randall and continue its unlikely ride through the postseason, but failed to take advantage. The loss, which witnessed the interruption of Tech’s timely hitting as well as the ejection of Tech coach Danny Hall and a Florida student assistant coach, has placed the Jackets in another do-or-die situation. Tech has come to know it well, having won on the last day of the regular season to make the ACC tournament and then winning four games in a row first to improve their standing for an at-large NCAA bid and then to reach and win the ACC title game.
“Like I told our guys after the game, we’ve been fighting all year with a lot of adversity,” pitching coach Tom Kinkelaar said. “Someone else has to step up like they have all year.”
The Jackets thumped 12 hits off of Randall and reliever Steven Rodriguez, but could only place a leadoff hitter on base only once in the game. Further, Tech could not replicate the timely hitting that had buoyed the Jackets last week to its first ACC title since 2005.
"We did have him on the ropes," Kinkelaar said. "A hit here and there and, again, it could have been a different story."
Tech actually outhit Florida 12-9 , but the Jackets left 10 runners on base in the game. The Gators stranded six.
“We’ve been getting those guys in of late,” Kinkelaar said. “Baseball’s a game of odds. Those things catch up to you at some point in time.”
Tech first baseman Jake Davies, who had been on a 9-for-20 rampage in the Jackets’ first five postseason games, went 0-for-4 Saturday. The game seemed to hinge on his second at-bat, in the bottom of the third inning. With two out, the scored tied 1-1 and two runners on base, Davies struck out swinging on a foul tip that was caught by catcher Mike Zunino. As Florida’s players returned to the dugout, Davies appealed the call, saying the ball had bounced.
After the four umpires convened, Davies was allowed to continue the at-bat, enraging the pro-Gators McKethan Stadium crowd. Resuming the 2-2 count, Randall struck out Davies four pitches later, causing a swell of cheering. In the next half inning, catcher Mike Zunino led off with a home run off Farmer, the first of three runs scored for the Gators in the inning.
“I felt like I caught it, but it’s one of those things where I was shifting over to block, anyway, so it could have skipped or anything,” Zunino said. “Regardless, they made the call and it was probably the right call at that time. That’s how we have to look at it.”
The appeal, while successful, may have come at a cost. Farmer said the interruption caused by the appeal and umpires’ discussion, followed by the Tech defense coming in off the field and then Randall warming up again and then striking out Davies, took him a little bit off his game.
“Buck’s sitting there, you’re ready to go out there and you come back and it changes a little bit the rhythm of the game,” Kinkelaar said.
Florida led 4-1 and was well on its way to victory, and that was even before Hall was ejected in the fifth inning for arguing a call with second-base umpire Chris Coskey.
“I think the home run by Mike after we had to get thrown back on the field there kind of changed the momentum for us,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
Farmer went seven innings, allowing four runs, all earned. Prior to the start of the four-team, double-elimination tournament, Hall chose to save Farmer for the top-ranked Gators rather than pitch him Friday against College of Charleston in the opener, figuring the Jackets’ best chance to upset Florida lay in having their ace pitch against (and beat) the Gators.
“It’s disappointing that we lost, but we’re not going to fold up shop right now,” Kinkelaar said.
Tech will pitch reliever Alex Cruz against the Cougars, who advanced to Sunday’s elimination game by beating Bethune-Cookman 8-2 Saturday afternoon. Hall will hold back starters Davies and Heddinger for Florida, presuming he’ll need the two starters to give Tech its best chance against Florida.
The Jackets relied on chemistry and resolve to become the first in ACC history to win the conference tournament as a No. 8 seed. They will face their sternest test yet of those traits Sunday.
“There’s no pressure,” catcher Zane Evans said. “Just go out there and have fun, do what we’ve been doing the whole season, battle and give it our all.”
