After tying Georgia Tech’s game against Auburn in the bottom of the ninth inning, designated hitter Jackson Finley won it for the Yellow Jackets in the bottom of the 10th Tuesday night, crushing a two-out walk-off grand slam for a 12-8 win at Russ Chandler Stadium.
It finished off a thrilling win for the Jackets, who had leads of 6-1 and 7-2 before Auburn took an 8-7 lead in the top of the ninth on Bryson Ware’s three-run home run off ace reliever Terry Busse.
“It’s one of those swings where you don’t feel it come off (the bat),” Finley told media after the game. “As soon as I hit it, I was pretty pumped.”
After reliever Dalton Smith retired the side in order in the top of the ninth, Jadyn Jackson doubled, Jake DeLeo was intentionally walked and then Kristian Campbell drew another walk to load the bases with no outs. However, the next two batters hit into force-outs at the plate. That brought Finley, who came into the game tied for fourth in the ACC in home runs with 11, to the plate.
An inning earlier, with Tech down 8-7 with none out and the bases loaded, Finley tied the game at 8 with a fielder’s choice groundout.
On the first pitch of his next at-bat, Auburn reliever Will Cannon’s breaking ball hung over the plate and Finley drove it over the right-center fence.
“It looked like we had squandered it and then had a chance in regulation to win and couldn’t do it and then it looked like we were going to do it again in the 10th, but Finley had other ideas,” coach Danny Hall said. “Just a great swing by him.”
Finley said that after watching Brandon Prince and Angelo DiSpigna ground out, he knew he wanted to get the ball in the air.
“Luckily, I got a pitch up in the zone and took a hack at it,” he said.
It was potentially a momentum-shifting win for the Jackets, who have lost two consecutive weekend series and lost to Auburn on the road in extra innings March 14. Tech (20-13) will play at Virginia Tech this weekend. The 10th pitcher to take the mound for the Jackets, Smith earned the win for the Jackets, while Cannon took the loss for Auburn (19-13-1).
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