Murray State Tops Georgia Tech in Thrilling 13-11 Battle

OXFORD, Miss. — In a thrilling contest Saturday night at Swayze Field, Murray State edged out Georgia Tech 13-11, eliminating the Yellow Jackets from the Oxford Regional. The loss came after Georgia Tech mounted a comeback from a seven-run deficit.

The Yellow Jackets (41-18) must now face elimination against top-seed Ole Miss at 3 p.m. on Sunday, needing a win to stay alive in the tournament. If they win, they will have to defeat Murray State again later that day to force a winner-take-all game on Monday.

“Obviously not the result we wanted,” said Tech coach Danny Hall. “Gotta give Murray State credit; they had some great at-bats and kept battling, getting many of their runs with two outs.”

Murray State (41-13) surged ahead early, scoring five runs in the first inning. Dan Tauken and Luke Mistone each drove in five runs during the game, highlighting the Racers’ offensive power. A solo home run from Jonathan Hogart in the seventh inning gave Murray State an 11-10 lead, which they maintained for the rest of the game.

Georgia Tech staged a significant comeback in the fifth inning, scoring seven runs to tie the game at 10-10, thanks to Vahn Lackey‘s three-run homer and John Giesler’s two-run double. However, they were unable to regain the lead and left runners stranded in the top of the ninth.

“It was a heavyweight battle,” said MSU coach Dan Skirka. “That kind of environment is what you dream about for these players.”

Despite utilizing six pitchers, Georgia Tech struggled with eight walks and numerous missed pitch opportunities. Murray State’s Graham Kelham recorded his sixth save, putting down the final batting threats from Tech, striking out Drew Rogers to complete the victory.

The Racers are now one win away from advancing to the Super Regional round. “We’re feeling pretty good right now,” Tauken said, expressing confidence in his team’s chances.

Georgia Tech looks to regroup as they prepare for the elimination match against Ole Miss on Sunday.