Baseball Recap

Game 1:

Virginia Tech won two extra-inning games over the weekend before losing their finale at the Homewood Suites Shootout in Charleston, S.C.

The Hokies hung on for a close 5-4 win over The Citadel in their opening game of the tournament.

Second baseman Matt Hacker had an all-around game for the Hokies.  He smacked an RBI-triple in the fourth inning, hit a home run in the sixth, and then stole two bases in the 11th which enabled him to score the game-winning run when catcher Matt Foley executed a suicide squeeze bunt.

Tech had a 5-4 lead with two outs in the ninth inning before pitcher Randy Buffington gave up a single and then hit two batters in a row to allow the Bulldogs to tie it up.

Pitcher Rhett Ballard came in for the Hokies to record the last out and then finished it out with two more scoreless innings striking out five batters in all to earn the win.

Centerfielder Chris Swauger led the way for the Bulldogs with four hits and an RBI while catcher Sid Fallow knocked in two runs of his own.

Game 2:

In their second game of the tournament, the Hokies had seven batters with two hits apiece as they knocked off UNC-Asheville 9-6 in 10 innings.

Tech catcher Anthony Sosnoskie was the hero in this one belting a grand slam in the Hokies’ five-run 10th inning.

UNC-Asheville would put up a little fight scoring two runs in the bottom half of the inning, but Tech pitcher Dave Zappacosta struck out Bulldog leftfielder Rob Vernon to end the game.

Right fielder Jose Cueto drove in two runs for Tech and starting pitcher Andrew Wells only gave up two runs and struck out four in 5.2 innings.

Vernon and outfielder David Williams each accumulated three hits, an RBI and two runs to pace the Bulldog attack.

Game 3:

Tech closed out the tournament on Sunday with a tough 7-3 loss to the University of Minnesota.

The Hokies exploded with three runs in the top of the first inning, but that would be all of the offense they could muster as they only recorded three hits the rest of the way.

The game would remain 3-0 until the sixth inning when the Gophers plated six runs on six hits and a Hokie error. 

Minnesota pitcher Marcus McKenzie entered in the bottom half of the sixth then and closed it out with four innings of one-hit ball.

Six different batters drove in a run for the Gophers while starting pitcher Tyler Oakes settled down after the rough first inning to go five innings and pick up the win.  

Third baseman Bryan Thomas was the only Hokie with two hits in the game.

Virginia Tech (5-3) will return to the field this Friday when they begin a three-game series with North Carolina A&T.  First pitch at English Field is scheduled for 3 p.m.