Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. - Virginia Tech doubled its way to an early lead and went on to defeat William & Mary 10-5 in its final non-conference baseball game at English Field on Tuesday. Tech improved to 22-30 with the victory, while W&M is now 35-16.
Tech collected five doubles in building a 7-2 lead after just two innings and went on to a 15-hit game that saw six Hokies finish with two or more hits.Sean Ryan (Ashburn, Va.) led the way with a 3-for-5 outing that included a double, two runs scored and one batted in.
Senior left fielder Jose Cueto (Miami, Fla.) had a homer, a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Tech also got two hits and two RBI from right fielder Klint Reed (Chesterfield, Va.). Other Hokies with two hits were shortstop Matt Hacker (Richmond, Va.), second baseman Austin Wates (Richmond, Va.) and freshman catcher Chris Kay (Marietta, Ga.). First baseman Sean O'Brien (Chappaqua, N.Y.) doubled and joined Cueto and Reed with two runs batted in.
The Tech offense gave senior left-hander Andrew Wells (Alexandria, Va.) his first pitching victory of the season. Wells (1-3) worked five innings, allowing four runs, one of which was unearned. He scattered eight hits, walked three and struck out two. Sophomore right-hander Kyle Cichy (Vineland, N.J.) pitched the last four innings to earn a save, his third of the year. Cichy allowed a run on five hits, while recording a personal-best five strikeouts. The two combined to limit the Tribe - which came into the game ranked third in the nation with a .349 team batting average - to just four earned runs.
A two-out Tech fielding error led to an unearned run for W&M in the first inning. After Tribe first baseman Mike Sheridan reached first on the miscue, designated hitter Tim Park lifted a double down the right field line. Sheridan raced around third base and, despite a strong relay throw from Wates, managed to elude the tag of Kay for the score.
William & Mary returned the favor with interest in the bottom of the first. Tech center fielder Ryan led off the inning with a single before a throwing error on a grounder off the bat of Hacker left Ryan safe at second base. A one-out single by Wates scored Ryan and back-to-back doubles by third baseman Michael Seaborn (Atlanta, Ga.) and Reed pushed the Hokies' lead to 4-1. Seaborn's two-bagger brought home Hacker, while Reed's double scored Wates and Seaborn.
After the Tribe scored a run in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Tyler Stampone, the Hokies picked up three more doubles and three additional runs in the bottom of the frame. Cueto's double down the left field line opened the inning, and he moved to third on a groundout by Kay and then scored when Ryan doubled to right center. Ryan moved to third on a single by Hacker and scored on a throwing error created when Hacker advanced to second on the throw in from the outfield. O'Brien's team-leading 17th double plated Hacker for a 7-2 Tech lead.
O'Brien's double chased W&M starting pitcher Tim Norton, who fell to 4-2 with the loss. His replacement, 6-foot-8 sophomore right-hander Cody Winslow, quieted Tech's bats with 3.1 hitless innings before giving way to Logan Billbrough with a man on in the sixth. Cueto promptly greeted the new Tribe hurler with a long homer to left, his fourth round-tripper of the season.
The visitors cut into the Tech lead with two runs in the fifth and another in the eighth. Center fielder Ben Guez opened the fifth inning with a single, moved to second on a one-out walk to Park and scored on a single by left fielder Greg Maliniak. Park came home with the second run on a two-out single by Lanny Stanfield, who came in to play shortstop in the fourth inning. The eighth-inning run scored on a single by Stampone.
Tech closed out the scoring in the bottom of the eighth when Kay singled, moved to second on a single by Ryan, took third on a fly out and came home on a sacrifice fly by O'Brien.
Tech will close out its 2008 season with a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series against Duke at English Field beginning Thursday. The Hokies and Blue Devils are scheduled to play at 5:30 p.m., on Thursday and Friday before closing out the regular season on Saturday afternoon at 1.