Life in the Valley

Racers Score Late to Upend #18 Georgia Tech, 13-11

Murray State head coach Dan Skirka talked on ESPN+ during Friday’s win over Ole Miss about how his team needed to act like a predator and not prey.

Saturday, the Racers hunted down their second straight big-time opponent, defeating Georgia Tech, 13-11, at the NCAA Oxford Regional. Jonathan Hogart and Dan Tauken homered in the late innings to break a 10-10 deadlock and the Missouri Valley Conference champion Murray State Racers beat the ACC regular-season champions 1 day after knocking off an SEC Tournament finalist.

The win moves the Racers (41-13) into the Regional final, which will take place at 6 p.m. Central today. Murray State doesn’t yet know its opponent. Georgia Tech (41-18) will play Mississippi in today’s first game. That’s an elimination game and the winner will have to beat Murray State twice to advance to Super Regionals. Ole Miss stayed alive yesterday with an 8-6 win over Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers went 0-2 in the Regional and are eliminated.

Saturday’s slugfest featured 8 runs in the 1st inning – 5 by the Racers after Georgia Tech had struck for 3 in the 1st against Racers starter Issac Silva. It took Silva 40 pitches to get through the inning, but staked with a lead, he settled down quickly, working a clean 6-pitch 2nd to get back on track. Silva got 1-2-3 innings in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

That allowed Murray State to add on via the long ball. In the bottom of the 4th, Luke Mistone launched a 3-run homer to make it 8-3. After Will Vierling walked, the Yellow Jackets replaced ace reliever Mason Patel, who had come on with 2 outs in the 1st, with Brett Barfield. Tauken greeted him with a 2-run homer to put Murray State up 10-3.

But if anyone was already thinking of a Racers’ Regional final and beyond, Georgia Tech ended those daydreams quickly – scoring 7 runs in the top of the 5th to tie the game. Vahn Lackey’s 3-run homer and pinch-hitter John Giesler’s 2-run double were the big blows in the uprising, as Silva left after 4 1/3 innings and Reese Oakley couldn’t get an out. Dylan Zentko came on to get the Racers out of the inning.

Zentko’s work was key. He went 2 2/3 innings, charged with just 1 run on 3 hits and most importantly, issuing no walks. Zentko struck out 2.

After Hogart’s homer and a Mistone sac fly gave the Racers a 12-10 lead through 7, Tech put 2 runners on to start the 8th and Graham Kelham replaced Zentko. He struck out Tech first-team D1Baseball All-American Drew Burress for the 1st out but hit Kent Schmidt. The Yellow Jackets drew within 1 on a fielder’s choice. But the Racers were probably happy to trade the out for the run, which took a bit to confirm as each team unsuccessfully challenged a call on the base paths. Following the reviews, Kelham ended the drama by striking out Alex Hernandez.

Tauken led off the 8th with his second homer of the game, restoring Murray State’s 2-run lead. A double and a walk in the top of the 9th brought the go-ahead run to the plate with 2 outs, but Kelham showed no nerves, striking out Drew Rogers swinging to end the game. Kelham got the last 6 outs, 4 by strikeout.

Tauken and Mistone each drove in 5 runs in the win. Lackey drove in 4 for Georgia Tech.

Murray State’s 41st win is a new school record.

Ed Morgans is the founder of MVCBaseball.com. An Evansville graduate, Ed has written about and broadcast college baseball, while following the sport for 40 years.