Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Powered on Saturday by Sam Tackett’s two home run swings and Jackson Cherry’s two-run blast into the visiting bullpen, the Virginia Tech baseball team evened its ACC-opening series against Georgia Tech, prevailing, 8-5, at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
Tackett’s solo shots during the third and fifth innings went down as the redshirt-senior’s fifth and sixth home runs of the season, respectively – the former of which broke the Hokies away from a 3-3 ballgame. Stepping in with two outs during both plate appearances, the ACC slugging leader cleared 371 feet on his first swing to left center field, one-upping his performance two innings later with his ball hit 431 feet to center field at an exit velocity of 108 miles per hour.
Cherry’s bomb to right field during the sixth inning was the topper to a nine-pitch triumph against reliever Sam Swygert, who had allowed Tackett’s second homer during the previous inning. After racking up 34 home runs during his four-year career at Mercer, the graduate outfielder proudly circled the bases for the first time with his new team, vaulting them ahead, 8-3, into the late innings.
Freshman southpaw Jake Marciano improved to 3-0 by turning in five and one-third innings for Virginia Tech (11-4, 1-1 ACC), allowing three runs on seven hits, striking out six batters while walking one. Swirling winds flooding the ballpark did Marciano in for a run during the top of the first inning as Alex Hernandez’s fly ball to right field fell between three converging Hokies, dropping for the unconventional RBI triple that put the visitors in front, 1-0.
Georgia Tech (12-3, 1-1 ACC) received an uneasy start from Brady Jones, who allowed five free passes (four walks) through his two innings on the mound. After Jones had walked the bases loaded for Virginia Tech during the bottom of the second inning, Jared Davis beat out a double play to tie the game at 1-1 while David McCann knocked a two-out, 0-2 pitch over the shift in right field for an RBI single, scoring Cherry to put the Hokies ahead.
Virginia Tech turned creative to steal a run during the same inning, attempting the same double steal that had failed during Friday’s series opener. Luring a throw to second base, McCann retreated with enough time to allow Davis to sprint home, shooting the Hokies out to the 3-1 lead through two innings of play.
Despite Virginia Tech taking its first lead, Georgia Tech pulled even at 3-3 quickly during the top of the third inning courtesy of loud contact against Marciano. After Kyle Lodise had hit a one-out double to the deep part of center field, Drew Burress tucked a 1-1 pitch inside the left field foul pole for a two-run home run – his fifth of the 2025 season.
In the wake of Tackett’s first of two home runs that put Virginia Tech on top, 4-3, the Hokies continued to stage a two-out rally during the bottom of the third inning against reliever Carson Ballard. Ben Watson kept the inning alive with a double down the right field line, setting the table for Henry Cooke to slap an RBI single up the middle for the 5-3 lead.
With its lead parked at 8-3 after Cherry’s two-run homer, Virginia Tech let Georgia Tech back into the game during the top of the seventh inning. After pinch hitter Tyler Neises had drawn a four-pitch leadoff walk off Jacob Exum, Lodise turned on the first pitch of his ensuing at-bat, homering to left center field to bring the Yellow Jackets within 8-5.
Cameron LeJeune picked up the reins from Exum, closing the door on Georgia Tech with three scoreless innings of relief. LeJeune, who earned his first save at Virginia Tech, surrendering a leadoff double to Neises during the top of the ninth inning, though never allowed the Yellow Jackets to present the potential game-tying run.