OXFORD, Miss. – [3] WKU Baseball dropped its NCAA Oxford Regional opener to [2] #18 Georgia Tech 9-2 on Friday evening at Swayze Field at Oxford-University Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Georgia Tech took a 3-0 lead with a three-run homer in the first inning.
• The Yellow Jackets tacked on another with a sacrifice fly in the second.
• A sacrifice bunt added another to grow Georgia Tech's lead to 5-0.
• WKU got on the board in the seventh with an RBI single from Reid Howard.
• A Hilltopper error allowed a run to come around and score to extend the Jacket's lead to 6-1.
• Kyle Hayes drove in another for WKU with a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth, cutting the Tops' deficit to 6-2.
• Another Georgia Tech three-run homer in the eighth made the final score 9-2.
NOTABLES
• WKU drops to 4-1 in postseason play and 46-13 (18-9 CUSA) overall. The Hilltoppers still sit one win shy of tying of the program-best 47-win 1980 squad.
• WKU falls to 1-6 all-time against Georgia Tech.
• The Hilltoppers drop to 6-9 all-time in the NCAA Regionals.
• Drew Whalen got the starting nod on the mound. The right-hander struck out two in 5.0 innings of work, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks.
• Taylor Penn, Treyson Peters and Zach Lyles saw action out of the bullpen. Penn tossed a scoreless frame, surrendering just one hit and a walk while collecting one strikeout. Lyles inherited a couple of runners in the seventh and retired three in a row with two punchouts to escape the inning unscathed.
• The Tops offense scored two runs on nine hits and two walks with two RBI.
• Howard finished the day 2-for-4 with an RBI while Hayes posted the other RBI in a 0-for-2 outing with a walk.
• Ethan Lizama and Camden Ross each produced multi-hit performances, going 2-for-4. Ross had the only extra-base hit with a double in the second inning.
QUOTABLE
• "You always want to come into this venue – a regional – and put your best foot forward in the way of performance, and for us today I don't feel that. I feel for our guys because they know and I'm disappointed and our guys are disappointed. We have better in us and obviously as a coach we need to get over it quick." – Head Coach Marc Rardin on the loss to #18 Georgia Tech.
UP NEXT
• WKU plays the loser of [4] Murray State and [1] Ole Miss in an elimination game tomorrow at Swayze Field at Oxford-University Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. CT.
How to follow WKU Baseball: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Baseball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKU_Baseball on X and @WKUBaseball on Instagram.
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