Hokie ClubLEXINGTON, Va. – Five different players tallied two hits apiece, and the Virginia Tech pitching staff limited VMI to five hits, as the Hokies defeated the Keydets 9-2 in non-conference baseball action at Gray-Minor Stadium on Tuesday.
Shortstop Tim Smalling and left fielder Buddy Sosnoskie each hit home runs and had two RBIs apiece for the Hokies, who improved to 29-14 overall and 18-4 in non-league play. The Keydets fell to 29-13 with their eighth consecutive loss.
Despite only throwing three innings, Hokie freshman starter Joe Mantiply (3-1) was eligible for the win because it was predetermined that Tech would use more than three pitchers in the game. Mantiply struck out two and gave up one hit in his three scoreless frames of work. Fellow freshman Patrick Scoggin also threw three scoreless innings in relief, adding three strikeouts.
VMI starter Jeremy Brown took the loss to fall to 2-2.
Smalling got the scoring started when he sent the first pitch of the second inning over the scoreboard in left-center field to give the Hokies a 1-0 lead. It was Smalling’s sixth home run of the season.
The Hokies picked up their second run of the game in the top of the third thanks to a VMI error. It came courtesy of first baseman Ronnie Shaban, who scored on grounder by Michael Seaborn that was misplayed by third baseman Chase Worthington.
Tech extended its lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning when Sosnoskie sent his seventh home run of the season to center field to drive in Sean Ryan, who had walked to lead off the inning. Seaborn added one more run later in the frame when his single to left brought home right fielder Austin Wates.
VMI got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of runs on a pinch-hit home run from Rob Dickinson, his fourth round-tripper of the year. The shot to left-center field also plated Worthington, who had walked earlier.
The Hokies got those two runs right back in the top of the sixth, with Wates scoring the first run on Shaban’s second triple in as many games. Shaban then came in to touch home on a sacrifice fly to center by Smalling.
Tech added another pair of runs in the seventh to set the final score at 9-2. Catcher Anthony Sosnoskie scored the first run on a dropped infield fly by the VMI second baseman, and Lexington native Tony Balisteri later came home from third on an RBI groundout from Steve Domecus.
The Hokies will return home this weekend with a three-game ACC series at English Field against Boston College. First pitch on Friday is set for 5:30 p.m.