Baseball Report Week 6: Hokies Sweeping the Nation
Bring Out Those Brooms
Virginia Tech continued their hot streak as they picked up a series sweep against Boston College just about a week ago and a midweek victory against Marshall in Blacksburg this past Tuesday.
While all four games were close from their own perspective, the Hokies managed to close out the past week 4-0 and continue their record-breaking start in the ACC.
Let’s see how they did it.
Series Sweep @ Chestnut Hill
Game 1
Virginia Tech jumped out to a quick 4-1 as they exited the top of the fifth, but the Eagles came storming back and knocked starter Brent Renfrow as well as Brady Kirtner out of the game in the inning. Renfrow would give up four runs in 4 ⅔ innings pitched, and Kirtner would give up a two-run blast to 2B Kyle Wolff, pushing Boston College back in the lead 6-4.
But while the Eagles were stumped at six runs in the ballgame, Tech would get back within one run off of a Chris Cannizzaro double in the seventh. It wasn’t until the last moments of the game that Christian Martin would belt a two-run shot, and Eddie Micheletti Jr. would add insurance with a double of his own against Eagles reliever Tyler Mudd. This gave Virginia Tech a comfortable 9-6 lead, and Jordan Little went on to close out Game 1.
Game 2
This game was just like game one: it came down to the wire. Skipping straight to the fourth inning, the Hokies held a solid 4-1 lead thanks to a couple sac-flies and a Henry Cooke solo shot in the second inning. Starter Wyatt Parliament cruised through five innings, only giving up one run on three hits.
Things would get a bit dicey in the bottom of the eighth for Tech, as after two outs, Boston College started a rally with a single and two walks. Kyle Wolff came up to the plate and smacked a double that scored two runs, with the tying BC run Vince Cimini getting thrown out at home on a relay starting with Chris Cannizzaro to maintain the lead 4-3. Jordan Little threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning, getting all three Eagles batters down on strikes.
Game 3
Starter Griffin Stieg displayed another solid performance, giving up only two runs in four ⅓ innings pitched and keeping the Hokies in the game. The 12-6 final score does not tell the whole story of this game, as going into the seventh inning, both teams were tied at three runs apiece.
It wasn’t until that fabled seventh inning that the wheels just fell off for Boston College. The Eagles would use three different pitchers in the inning and give up a combined seven runs to Tech on five walks and only two hits. Virginia Tech would later bolster their lead 12-3 and ultimately take the series sweep against Boston College.
Midweek Win Against Marshall
Offense was hard to come by against Marshall this past Tuesday as the Hokies took the 4-2 victory at English Field. The four Tech runs were supplied by a Henry Cooke base-clearing double and a David McCann solo homer.
On a bullpen day for Virginia Tech, they used only five pitchers, starting with Jordan Vera, allowing only two runs on 10 hits from Marshall. If you are the Hokies, that's about all you could ask for, and when Marshall got close to striking, Tech’s bullpen shut them down. That rang especially after Marshall had bases loaded and no outs on the Hokies in the top of the ninth. Jordan Little was able to get out of the jam and secure Virginia Tech’s 19th win of the season.
The Week Ahead
A three-game set with Pittsburgh is upcoming for the Hokies, as they will stay in Blacksburg. Game 1 of that series ended in a ___ score. Tech will also travel to Huntington, WV, for another visit with the Marshall Thundering Herd this upcoming Tuesday.
