April 9, 2017
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Georgia Tech took a four-run lead into the bottom of the second, yet gave up six runs in the inning and played from behind the rest of the game in a 9-6 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium in South Bend, Ind.
Tech falls to 16-14 overall and 4-11 in ACC play with the loss, while Notre Dame improves to 13-17 overall and 7-8 in conference play with the win and series sweep.
With no extra base hits over the first two games on Friday and Saturday, the Jackets registered three doubles in the final game of the three-game series.
Freshman Austin Wilhite led the Jackets at the plate, as the shortstop went 3-for-5 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored. Fellow freshman Chase Murray was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, while Joey Bart (1-for-4, 2B) and Coleman Poje (1-for-3, 2 BB) each scored two runs in the loss.
The Irish were led offensively by Cole Daily who was 1-for-3 with three RBIs, while Kyle Fiala went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs. Lead-off hitter Nick Podkul went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
Spot starter Jake Lee (1-2) was handed the loss, as he gave up six runs on only two hits, but walked four and hit two batters over 2.2 innings of work.
The win went to the Irish’s Brad Bass (2-4), as the tall righty settled down after a three-run third inning to give up four runs, three earned, on five hits and four walks, while striking out seven Tech hitters in 6.0 innings.
Notre Dame’s Peter Solomon (2) earned the save pitching the final 2.1 innings of the contest.
Looking to get off to a good start on Sunday, the Jackets put the first two batters on to start the game on an Irish error and a base on balls. After back-to-back strikeouts, a passed ball and a walk loaded the bases, the Irish got a ground ball out to the second basemen to end the inning and keep the visitors off the scoreboard as Tech stranded three runners on base.
In the second, the Jackets got a lead-off double from Wilhite. A sac bunt moved him up 90 feet to third before a ground ball to shortstop two batters later was misplayed by the Irish which allowed Wilhite to score from third to put the Jackets on top at 1-0.
After Lee pitched around a walk and a single in the bottom half of the second to strand two Notre Dame base runners, the Jackets got a lead-off double by Bart to start the third. Following, back-to-back walks to Kel Johnson and Poje to load the bases, Tech plated three runs on an RBI single by Wilhite and a two-run base hit by Murray to push its lead to four at 4-0.
However, the Irish took its first lead of the game in the bottom half of the third as the home team pushed across six runs on just three hits, but took advantage of three walks and two hit batters in the inning.
The Irish loaded the bases on a walk, hit batsman and single to the hole at shortstop before another walk and a fielder’s choice scored two for the home team to cut the Tech lead to 4-2.
Following the third walk of the inning to load the bases, the next Irish hitter was hit by a pitch to give the home team the third run of the inning, before a two-run bloop single and a line drive single to center pushed across three more runs to give the home team the 6-4 lead after three complete.
Tech stranded the tying runs on base in the top of the fourth, before the Irish scored another run in the bottom half of the inning on a single, a sac bunt, two walks, a passed ball and a wild pitch to increase its lead to three at 7-4.
Notre Dame added an insurance run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly to left to pull out in front by four at 8-4, before Wilhite came up big again in the top of the seventh with a two-out single up the middle to score both Bart and Poje to get to within two at 8-6.
However, the Irish got one of those two runs back in the bottom half of the seventh on a double and a two-out RBI single to left to push its lead back out to three at 9-6.
Tech stranded one in both the eighth and the ninth, as the Irish held on for the 9-6 ACC win.
Both teams stranded 10 runners apiece on base for the contest.
The Jackets (16-14, 4-11 ACC) will wrap up their five-game road swing on Tuesday night versus the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Ga. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Tech Tidbits
* Georgia Tech is now 0-3 all-time in games played in the state of Indiana.
* Tech is 12-5 on the season when scoring first in the contest.
* Tech fell to 2-8 on the season when giving up a big inning (four or more runs) in the contest.
* Georgia Tech is 2-9 on the season when getting out hit by its opponent for the game.
* Coleman Poje reached base for the ninth consecutive game with a walk in his first at bat.
* Austin Wilhite tied his career-high with three hits in the game, the seventh time he has done that this season.
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