Hokie ClubDURHAM, N.C. – Rallying from seven runs down on Saturday afternoon, the Virginia Tech baseball team reset itself after an 82-minute weather delay to pull off the program’s largest come-from-behind victory during an ACC regular season game as the Hokies stunned Duke, 9-8, in 11 innings at Jack Coombs Field.
Virginia Tech (27-16, 11-12 ACC) fell behind, 6-0, during the bottom of the first inning and was defending the bases loaded during the bottom of the third inning when play was halted at 4:23 p.m. for inclement weather advancing on the Durham area. At the time of suspension, Luke Jackman – the Hokies’ fourth pitcher of the ballgame – was behind 2-0 in his count to AJ Gracia, who had hit Friday’s walk-off, three-run home run for the Blue Devils during the bottom of the 11th inning.
Weathering an hour and 22 minutes of mixed lightning and rain, Jackman resumed his at-bat with Gracia but was unable to dodge walking the center fielder, pushing home Ben Rounds from third base. Through three innings, Duke (29-15, 13-10 ACC) held the commanding, 7-0 lead.
With the weather delay chasing starter Andrew Healy from the contest after three innings and 48 pitches, Virginia Tech began its comeback charge during the top of the fifth inning in the wake of Hudson Lutterman’s leadoff single. Nick Locurto followed with a double to left field that put two Hokies in scoring position for Clay Grady, who brought in the visitors’ first run with his RBI groundout to the left side.
Jared Davis kept the gears turning for Virginia Tech, holding out for a five-pitch walk that put runners on first and second base for Henry Cooke. On a 2-2 count against Duke reliever Ryan Calvert, Cooke pummeled a three-run home run that cut the Hokies’ deficit to 7-4.
After the Blue Devils had made their third pitching change since the weather delay, Ben Watson knocked a base hit down the left field line, taking second base when Sam Tackett walked behind him. Moving up on David McCann’s groundout, Watson darted home on a wild pitch by Gabe Nard, capping the Hokies’ five-run inning that tightened the ballgame.