Texas Tech baseball ends season with loss to Notre Dame in Statesboro Regional
STATESBORO, Ga. — Texas Tech did its best to prolong the baseball season, but the third attempt to stave off elimination at the Statesboro Regional proved to be too much of an uphill climb.
The Red Raiders lost to Notre Dame 2-1 on Sunday night to see their season end with a 39-22 record.
Earlier in the day, Tech defeated host and top-seeded Georgia Southern 3-1.
Notre Dame (37-14) sailed through the regional undefeated in three games. The Irish advanced to a best-of-three super regional against the winner of the Knoxville Regional.
Tech had its chances at the end but left the bases loaded in the eighth and ninth innings.
“I’m really proud of them. I’d take my chances with all those guys up there with runners in scoring position. Obviously, we just didn’t push the runs across there in the end,” Red Raiders coach Tim Tadlock said.
Tech’s high-powered offense — an attack that averaged 8.7 runs a game, 10th in Division I — was missing in action during the weekend. The Red Raiders scored only eight runs in four regional games.
Notre Dame lefthander John Michael Bertrand, a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer, allowed just one run in 7.2 innings.
Tech’s frustrations seemed to hit a boiling point when third-base coach J-Bob Thomas was thrown out of the game for arguing balls and strikes after Owen Washburn’s fourth-inning strikeout.
According to an on-site NCAA official, Thomas will be suspended for seven games overall, one game for being ejected as a non-head coach, two additional games for prolonged arguing and another four games for bumping an umpire.
Notre Dame, which will be making its second straight super regional appearance for the first time in school history, took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Ryan Cole’s single drove in Spencer Myers.
In the fourth inning, Cole, who had four hits, drove in his second run with a two-out, RBI single.
Tech made it a nailbiter in the eighth and ninth innings. Jace Jung’s long drive hit midway up the 24-foot wall in right field to bring in the lone Red Raider run in the eighth.
Notre Dame’s reliever Jack Findlay got out of the bases loaded jam in the eighth by fanning Washburn to end the inning.
Tech loaded the bases again in the ninth, but Findlay got Jung to bounce out to end the game.
In the opening game of the day, Tech righthander Andrew Morris, who threw only 18 pitches on Friday before a long rain delay, came up big for the Red Raiders. He went six innings, scattering four hits and allowing just one unearned run in the 3-1 victory over Georgia Southern.
Tech’s offense punched together just enough runs with three of their four hits in a three-run fourth inning. Kurt Wilson walked with the bases loaded to tie the game. Washburn hit a long sacrifice fly to put Tech ahead 2-1 and Hudson White followed with a run-scoring single.
“Hitting comes in spurts,” Tadlock said. “Really, I’m glad we got three in one inning.”
Georgia Southern (41-20) couldn’t catch up.
The Eagles’ best chance came in the eighth inning. They opened the frame with two singles and had the potential tying runs in scoring position with two outs before Tech center fielder Dillon Carter ran down Parker Biederer’s long drive on the warning track in right-center field.
Bertrand was named the most outstanding player of the regional. Tech was represented on the all-tournament team by Cole Stilwell, Jung and Easton Murrell.
TEXAS TECH 3, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 1
Early game
Georgia Southern 001 000 000 — 1 7 1
Texas Tech 000 300 00x — 3 4 1
Danny Madden, Jay Thompson (4), Jake Martin (7) and JP Tighe. Andrew Morris, Austin Becker (7), Mason Molina (9) and Hudson White. W — Morris (8-2). L — Madden (2-2). 2B — Georgia Southern C. Avant (15); Texas Tech, None. Records: Georgia Southern (41-2). Texas Tech 39-21.
NOTRE DAME 2, TEXAS TECH 1
Late game
Notre Dame 001 100 000 — 2 9 1
Texas Tech 000 000 010 — 1 10 0
John Michael Bertrand, Alex Rao (8), Jack Findlay (8) and David LaManna. Jamie Hitt, Brandon Beckel (3), Josh Sanders (6), Garrett Crowley (8), Andrew Devine (9) and Cole Stilwell. W — Bertrand (9-2). L — Hitt (1-2). 2B — Notre Dame, Ryan Cole 1 (11), Zack Prajzner 1 (8), Spencer Myers 1 (4); Texas Tech, Easton Murrell 1 (11). Records: Notre Dame (38-14). Texas Tech (39-22).
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech ends season with loss to Notre Dame in Statesboro Regional
