Hokie ClubHARRISONBURG, Va. – Pooling another helping of run-scoring extra-base hits on Tuesday, the Virginia Tech baseball team had enough in the tank to outlast James Madison, 5-4, at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park as the Hokies completed their first season sweep of the Dukes since 2009.
Timely hits were key to Virginia Tech (12-5) asserting an early lead against James Madison (5-11) and ultimately putting the winning combination together during the top of the fifth inning.
Three batters into the ballgame, Sam Tackett flaunted his credentials as the ACC leader in slugging percentage, doubling in the first run of the afternoon. With Ben Watson at second base (aboard as a hit batsman), Tackett worked a full count against midweek starter Timothy Tyler before skipping a ball down the third base line, off the bag and over the head of third baseman Wyatt Peifer.
Virginia Tech added to its lead in similar fashion against Tyler during the top of the second inning, relying on a more traditional RBI double by Clay Grady. With two outs and the bases clear, freshman catcher Anderson French extended the inning by drawing a four-pitch walk off Tyler, scoring as the Hokies’ desired hit-and-run worked to perfection with Grady hooking the ball away from left fielder Eli Steadman.
French widened Virginia Tech’s lead to 3-0 during the top of the fourth inning with the biggest hit of his rookie season – his first home run at the collegiate level. As during the second inning, French arrived at the plate with two outs and the bases empty, turning on the first pitch from Jayden Barroquiero and shuttling it over the left field wall.
Chase Swift opened with two scoreless innings during his first collegiate start, though departed early during the third inning after allowing the first two JMU batters to reach base. Despite inheriting the jam, Marcel Kulik pitched Virginia Tech out of the inning unscathed, leaving the pair of Dukes in scoring position while moving to the fourth inning.
There, in the wake of French’s homer, James Madison finally broke through against the Hokies, rallying for three game-tying runs. Maddux Fleck and Steadman bookended RBI doubles around a sacrifice fly by Peifer, leaving the two sides suddenly deadlocked at 3-3.
Watson reinstalled Virginia Tech’s lead during the top of the fifth inning with an RBI double – the Hokies’ fourth run-scoring extra-base hit of the contest. Virginia Tech threatened for more with two runners in scoring position and one out, though managed to bring home only one run as Tackett was thrown out at third base on Henry Cooke’s sacrifice fly (8-4-5 relay), seconds after Watson had legally tagged and crossed the plate.
Josh Berzonski banked two and one-third scoreless innings of relief for the Hokies, closing his outing by retiring seven consecutive JMU batters. Grant Manning extended Berzonski’s streak by pulling outs from each of the next four batters he faced into the eighth inning, where the Dukes ultimately slid within 5-4, scratching across a run on a double steal attempt that achieved its desired intention.
Mathieu Curtis and Luke Jackman carried Virginia Tech to the finish line with Jackman completing his first collegiate save.
Walks by Curtis to Fleck and Steadman had presented the Dukes with the tying and winning runners on base before Jackman entered, throwing nothing but strikes. The redshirt-junior fanned Jack Guerrero and induced the game-ending ground ball up the third base line, resulting in a cross-diamond throw by defensive entry Ethan Gibson and a well-applied tag by first baseman Garrett Michel.