Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Tom Stoffel drove in single runs early then capped Virginia Tech's run support for starter Dylan Hall with a grand slam in the seventh to lead the Hokies to an 11-3 win over visiting Marshall on Tuesday afternoon at English Field at Union Park.
Marshall (14-14) would hold a 3-2 lead after three frames, hitting solo home runs in each of the first three frames before Hall settled into a groove on the mound.
Meanwhile, it was Stoffel tying the game each time for Tech (14-17), with an RBI single in the bottom of the first (scoring Jack Owens), the second (Nick Owens) and in the fourth (Stevie Mangrum), which knotted the game at 3-3.
In the fifth, the Hokies took their first lead of the afternoon on Sam Fragale's three-run home run and Mangrum followed with a solo shot to put the home squad ahead by four.
Stoffel, who had already notched a pair of two-out RBI singles, came to the plate in the seventh with the bases loaded and two outs. He worked a full count then launched the opposite field grand slam to finish off his team's scoring for the day.
On the mound, Hall surrendered a single after the third home run, but then retired the next 12 Thundering Herd batters, a career-long, and 14 of the last 15 batters he faced. Joey Sullivan struck out two in the eighth and Grant Squyars finished the ninth for Tech.
Inside the Box
- Hall – four scoreless innings, 18 for the season, 22 for his career; three were perfect, six for the season, 10 in his career; 12 straight retired is a career-long, previous was 10 last season; quality start was second of season/career.
- Joe Freiday, Jr. – double, fourth of the season, 16th of his career; two hits, seventh multi-hit game of the year, 24th of his career.
- Fragale – home run, fourth of the year, 27th of his career; two runs, fifth multi-run scoring game of season, 24th of his career; three RBI, eighth multi-RBI game of season, 39th of his career.
- Mangrum – home run, first of the year, fourth of his career; double, third of the season, 13th of his career; season-high three hits, second multi-hit game of the season, seventh of his career; third game in career with at least three hits; season-high three RBI, second career multi-RBI game.
- Nick Menken – stolen base, sixth of the season.
- J. Owens – two hits, eighth multi-hit game of the year, 32nd of his career; two runs, seventh multi-run scoring game of season, 23rd of his career.
- N. Owens – two runs, sixth multi-run scoring game of the season/career; stolen base, second of the season.
- Stoffel – home run, fourth of the year, 14th of his career; four hits (one shy of his career high), team-high 13th multi-hit game of the year, 51st of his career; second four-hit game of the season, sixth of his career; career-high seven RBI (previous high five, two times); fifth multi-hit game of the season, 31st of his career.
- Sullivan – one scoreless inning, 13 for the season, 76 in his career; it was perfect, six for the season, 27 in his career.
- Squyars – one scoreless inning, the second of the season.
Additional Notes
- Tech turned two double plays in the game and now has 26 this season.
- This was the second time this season Tech has gone back-to-back – Jack Owens and Stoffel did it last Wednesday versus Dayton.
- This was the Hokies first grand slam since Matt Dauby hit one versus Northeastern May 9, 2017.
- All-time, Tech is now 25-9 against Marshall, including a 19-4 mark at home and 7-2 at English Field at Union Park.
Up Next
- Tech continues a busy week – five games in six days. The Hokies head to Charleston, West Virginia tomorrow for a game versus Marshall starting at 6 p.m. before returning to Blacksburg for a three-game series against Louisville starting Friday.
Tickets
- For fans looking to attend the three-game ACC series against Louisville this weekend – or any of Tech's upcoming ACC contests, please be aware tickets are required for all ACC games at English Field at Union Park. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets in advance.