Georgia Tech couldn’t solve Austin Peay pitcher Jack Snodgrass on Friday night in the Atlanta Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament, losing 2-1 at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets (40-20) will face Southern Miss (39-18) at 3 p.m. Saturday, needing a win to keep their season alive in the double-elimination tournament. The Golden Eagles, who haven’t scored in 25 innings, lost to Mississippi State 3-0 in Friday’s opener.
“It was definitely a tough loss,” Tech coach Danny Hall said. It was the first time since 2003 that Tech lost a regional opener. Tech hasn’t advanced past the regional stage since 2006 when it went to the College World Series.
Jed Bradley (6-3, 3.59 ERA), who is projected to be a first-round pick in next week’s major league draft, will take the mound for the Jackets in the all-important game. Tech and Southern Miss have a history in Atlanta. The Eagles eliminated them in the regional two years ago, something Tech’s players talked about when the field was announced Monday.
The game wasn’t the only loss for Tech on Friday. Ace Mark Pope had to leave in the second inning after throwing 20 pitches. He hurt his back while throwing a curveball during Thursday’s practice and tried to make it through against the Governors.
Pope led or was tied for the ACC lead in four categories this season: wins (11), innings pitched (112), shutouts (3) and complete games (5). He was third in ERA (1.77). Hall said he doesn’t think Pope will be able to pitch in the regional.
Austin Peay pulled its own pitching change, but it occurred Thursday. Coach Gary McClure was going to go with usual Friday starter Jeremy Dobbs against the Jackets, but changed his mind Thursday afternoon and switched to Snodgrass, the usual Saturday starter. Both are lefties, but Snodgrass pitched well in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, striking out 11 in his only start.
McClure’s intuition paid off. Snodgrass pitched seven innings, allowing one earned run on seven hits with three strikeouts. Tech wasted chances in the each of the first three innings, as well as the seventh. The Jackets left 10 men on base.
Left-handed hitting Jake Davies had the most trouble against Snodgrass, grounding into two inning-ending double plays, once in the third and once in the seventh. He also had an inning-ending strikeout in the first with a runner on third.
“It’s pretty deflating when you get these opportunities to score and don’t do it,” Hall said.
McClure said the win was probably the biggest in Austin Peay history, but they aren’t done. Snodgrass said he thinks they can win the regional.
Matthew Grimes, usually the midweek starter, came on for Pope and kept Tech in the game. He had 12 starts and two relief appearances this season, most recently in the ACC tournament. He pitched well Friday, giving up a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly and then retiring nine consecutive batters before Jordan Hankins hit a home run in the seventh, his fourth of the season, to give the Governors a 2-1 lead.
Austin Peay took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Matt Wollenzin that scored John Hogan. He doubled down the right-field line to lead off the inning and moved to third on a single by Reed Harper.
Tech tied the game 1-1 in the fourth on a RBI single by Brandon Thomas. With one out, Zane Evans and Sam Dove hit back-to-back singles to right. Evan Martin looped a fly ball to right that allowed Evans to move to third, where Thomas drove him in.
