Irish score run in 10th, top Tech on diamond

ATLANTA, Ga. - One, final double play finished off the Georgia Tech baseball team on Friday.

Daniel Spingola lined into a game-ending double play, the fourth hit into by the Yellow Jackets in a 3-2 loss in 10 innings to Notre Dame in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Russ Chandler Stadium.

Notre Dame (11-1, 1-0) had gone ahead 3-2 with a two-put rally in the top of the 10th. Facing losing pitcher Matthew Gorst, Lane Richards singled with one out, then after a strike out, Jake Johnson also singled to put runners at first and third. Kyle Fiala followed with a run-scoring single that chased home Richards to give the South Bend, Indiana school the lead.

Tech got a lead off single from pinch-hitter Keenan Innis in the bottom of the 10th, but after Connor Justus sacrificed Innis to second, Spingola hit the ball hard but right at second baseman Cavan Biggio and Innis had no chance to get back to second base. Tech (9-4, 0-1), which had its four-game winning streak snapped, also hit into an inning-ending double play in the bottom of the ninth when after Wade Bailey ripped a single with one out, Brad Bass forced a twin-killing out of Matt Gonzalez.

Bass pitched 2 2/3 innings of one-hit ball to pick up the win.

Notre Dame grabbed a two-run lead against Tech starter Jonathan King when Ryan Bull led off the second with a walk and scored on Robert Youngdahl’s double. King got consecutive strike outs, but couldn’t retire Richards, who roped a single to score Youngdahl and make it a 2-0 contest.

King settled down after that and finished with seven innings of four-hit ball, striking out five to pick up a no-decision. 

Irish starter Scott Kerrigan threw three scoreless innings before freshman Kel Johnson launched his team-leading fifth home run on Kerrigan’s first pitch of the fourth. Kerrigan lasted 6 1/3 innings, and worked out of a jam by inducing double plays in both the first and sixth innings. The senior right-hander walked Bailey and surrendered a double to Gonzalez with one out in the seventh and was replaced by Bass, who promptly served up a wild pitch that scored Bailey to tie things up at 2-2.

The teams continue their three-game weekend series Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.

Photo: Jonathan King pitches in Friday's game against Notre Dame