NCAA Regionals: FSU keeps Martin playing, dumps UGA; Tech wins wild elimination game, loses finale

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Sunday

Florida State 10, Georgia 1

          Georgia had everything going early Sunday in an elimination-game win over Florida Atlantic that took only two hours and 30 minutes.

          The Bulldogs had nothing going a few hours later.

          Florida State (39-21) extended the career of its legendary head coach by leading from the start and keeping the Bulldogs in check to go undefeated and win the Athens Regional.

          “It just wasn’t our day, and it started out like it was going to be our day,” Georgia head coach Scott Stricklin said. “I don’t know if we could have played much better during the noon game. I thought we played extremely well against Florida Atlantic.”

          The Bulldogs (46-17) failed to make it out of their own regional for the second straight year, against losing to an ACC team. Duke did the damage last year.

          The storied career of FSU head coach Mike Martin continues. He was as thrilled as what he experienced outside the lines as to what happened between them.

          “We will battle you, we will compete and the guys up here know that the guys on the bench are pulling hard for them,” he said. “They aren't saying pop up or strike out or do something to make me mad so they get taken out. They are Seminoles. They play their hearts out even though they never put on a glove.

          “That is what we get out of coaching, is seeing a team come together."

          The top four batters in FSU’s lineup teamed for seven hits, seven runs, and eight RBI. Georgia’s countered three hits, a run and an RBI, most from Tucker Maxwell (2 for 4,  the run and RBI).

          Florida State handed Georgia a thorough beating on Saturday night, 12-3, and topped the Bulldogs 22-4 on consecutive days.

          The Seminoles put up two runs in the first and third innings to gain some control.

          "We were locked in before the game even started,” said FSU’s Reese Albert, who belted a two-run homer in the first. “But I knew something big, early, would keep us locked in for the rest of the game.”

          The Bulldogs were able to get a runner on in most innings but were unable to put anything together and threaten.

          Georgia’s Elliott, Schunk, and Maxwell made the all-tournament team. FSU’s Mike Salvatore was the outstanding player, joined by CJ Van Eyk, Drew Mendoza, Carter Smith, Nander De Sedas, and Tim Becker on the team.

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FSU notebook

Auburn 4, Georgia Tech 1

          Weather delays offer suspense on how teams will respond.

          Auburn did. Georgia Tech didn’t.

          The Tigers scored three runs in the sixth and the pitching kept the Yellow Jackets flatfooted in winning the Atlanta Regional Sunday night.

          The third-seeded Tigers won a regional for the second straight year.

          The game was stopped for one minute short of two hours, a scoreless tie entering the bottom of the fourth.

          Tech got a single that was erased on a double play, Auburn stranded a pair of two-out runners, and Tech went down in order.

          Then the Tigers stirred.

          A single, error, single, and double – by Saturday night hero Steven Williams - brought in three runs.

          The Yellow Jackets followed a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth with a double play, and got a two-out homer by  Tristin English in the seventh.

          Keyton Gibson got two strikeouts to lead off the ninth, but they were followed by a throwing error, intentional walk, stolen base, and RBI single to center for a 4-1 lead.

          And the Jackets, after a nine-pitch at-bat by Luke Waddell, went down in order. 

          The win came a little more than a week after the death of longtime Auburn broadcaster Rod Bramblett and his wife, and a few days after a memorial service for them.

          "Our hearts are still really sad, but I think we made a commitment for this entire series,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “I could see it in our guys whenever our backs were against the wall. Some plays were made, some swings were made that affected the outcome."

          Bliss and Rankin Woley had two hits each for Auburn, whose pitchers Bailey Horn and Cody Greenhill held Tech to a season-low three hits, striking out eight and walking one.

          Auburn’s Williams was the regional’s outstanding player. He was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Bailey Horn, Richard Fitts, Bliss, Edouard Julien, and Judd Ward.

Kyle McCann, English, Waddell, and Nick Wilhite made the all-regional team for Tech.

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Elimination games, Sunday

Georgia 13, Florida Atlantic 0

          Two innings of suspense soon turned into a complete game for Georgia, who led 5-0 after four and pulled away late.

          Tim Elliott came up big with a complete game, needing only 95 pitches to fan eight with no walks and give up two hits. He improved to 7-3, and more importantly, saved the bullpen.

          Aaron Schunk drove in six runs on two hits, including a grand slam. L.J. Talley and Cam Shepherd had three hits each, Shepherd adding one to the collection of five Bulldog homers. John Cable had two RBI, and Connor Tate three from the ninth spot.

          FAU stranded only one runner.

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Georgia Tech 10, Coastal Carolina 8

          It looked like a lost cause for the Yellow Jackets, especially after an odd fourth inning.

          They trailed 4-2, but the Chanticleers got a runner on. Tech pitcher Luke Bartnicki was in his windup, heard “balk” and stopped his motion.

          Umpires didn’t call a balk, a fan did. But then a balk was called, because Bartnicki actually did balk after the fake balk call.

          Head coach Danny Hall argued and protested, and the game was delayed for more htan 10 minutes while umpires consulted, and talked with an NCAA rules director.

          It wasn’t a protestable situation, the game continued, and Coastal ended up getting three runs in the inning.

          “They put some runs on the board in that inning,” Hall said of Bartnicki, “so I would say he did not handle it very well.”

          The Jackets, who kept stranding runners, regained their composure and got two in the sixth to pull within 7-4.

          Tech scored five in the seventh, sparked by Kyle McCann’s bases-loaded triple. English doubled and Colin Hall singled for two more runs and suddenly a 9-7 lead.

          Coastal pitching coach Drew Thomas was ejected during a pitching change in the inning, and there was no pitching change.

          “I’ve coached 34 years, and I’ll be the first one to tell you, I don’t know the rule book inside and out, but when you throw the guy out and you don’t allow us to change pitchers, I don’t understand that,” Coastal head coach Gary Gilmore said. “That shouldn’t be.”

          Tristan English came on as Tech’s fourth pitcher, and threw three one-hit shutout innings for his sixth save.

          His glove helped with a huge double play in the seventh, slowing down a liner enough – and popping off his hand - for the twin-killing despite giving up a run. English came on with the bases loaded.

          Both teams stranded one-out runners in the eighth, and Tech added a run on Colin Hall’s two-out solo homer in the ninth.

          English needed 12 pitches, again aided by a double play, to finish it.

          The Jackets got four hits from Luke Waddell, three from English, and two from Colin Hall and McCann.

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