Reyes, Elon eliminate Georgia State, 4-3

ATLANTA -- After setting his career high with 14 strikeouts, Jimmy Reyes wanted more. After throwing 135 pitches he asked his coach for the ball again in the ninth inning.

This time, it was Reyes' turn to strike out.

But Reyes was dominant for eight innings, Cory Harrilchak hit a go-ahead home run, and Elon edged Georgia State 4-3 on Saturday to eliminate the Panthers from their first NCAA tournament.

Reyes (8-0) gave up eight hits and three runs in eight innings while setting his career high for strikeouts.

Elon coach Mike Kennedy said he only reluctantly allowed Reyes to pitch the eighth inning as the left-hander's pitch count already was climbing to rare levels. The coach said he then had to turn down the sophomore's request to try for a complete-game victory.

"That's the most pitches a pitcher of mine has ever thrown in 13 years, and I don't like doing that," Kennedy said.

"He was strong, nothing was tweaked or anything so I let him talk me into (pitching the eighth)."

Reyes said he didn't know he had thrown 135 pitches when he asked to remain in the game for the final inning.

"I knew my pitch count was high," Reyes said. "Coach said I had 135 pitches. I kind of said 'OK. There are plenty of guys on this team who can get it done.'"

Instead of turning to closer Thomas Girdwood, who failed to hold a 13-12 lead in the ninth inning of Friday's 17-15 loss to Southern Miss, Kennedy turned to Daniel Britt in the ninth. Normally a starter, Britt earned his second save by giving up only one hit in the ninth.

Girdwood ranks second in the nation with 17 saves.

"Right now his mental state is not great," said Kennedy of Girdwood.

"We've got to win two more games to get to where we want to get. To do that, he's going to have to pitch."

Elon (41-17) will play on Sunday against the loser of Saturday night's Georgia Tech-Southern Miss game.

Harrilchak's leadoff homer in the sixth broke a 3-3 tie.

Bennett Davis, who hit three homers in the loss to Southern Miss, added a two-run homer in Elon's three-run first inning.

Elon's 138 homers lead the NCAA, and Kennedy said the cozy dimensions of Russ Chandler Stadium is working in his team's favor.

"We thought we had a small ballpark, but this thing plays pretty small," Kennedy said. "That's good for us."

Georgia State coach Greg Frady said he felt good that his Panthers (39-22) held Elon to two homers and four runs.

"There's not a team in the tournament that wouldn't take that," Frady said.

"Elon is not a good-hitting team. Elon is an outstanding hitting team."

Georgia State scored two runs in the first on Derek Simmons' homer and Matt Van Horn's run-scoring double. The Panthers' only other run came in the third when Nick Logan hit a leadoff single and scored on Bradley Logan's groundout.

Georgia State left six runners on base, including runners on second and third in the seventh, when Reyes struck out Simmons to end the threat.

"We had runners on in the right places, we just didn't get the big hit," Frady said, adding he was "disappointed but proud."