DELAND, Fla. – In its final game of the RyCass Classic, a tournament hosted by Stetson University, the Virginia Tech Baseball team jumped out to a three-run lead early Sunday morning then held on for a 3-2 victory over Sam Houston State to win the tournament held at Melching Field.
Zach Brzykcy earned the first save of his career, tossing a perfect ninth frame that included a pair of strikeouts, as Peyton Alford picked up his first Tech victory with 4.0 innings of work out of the bullpen. Tech has now won six straight games in the state of Florida, in fact, each of those have been played at Melching Field.
Tech (3-0) again took an early lead, thanks to a two-run home run by Kerry Carpenter in the first inning. Over the weekend, the Hokies outscored their opponents 8-0 in the first frame and 11-0 through the first four.
In the fifth, a couple of walks followed by back-to-back hit batters gave the Hokies a 3-0 lead as Jack Owens notched his first RBI of the year with his bases-loaded HBP that scored Carson Taylor.
Sam Houston State (2-1) got its first run of the game after getting to Tech starter Chris Gerard in the home half of the fifth. After allowing one hit over the first four, the Bearkats opened the fifth with a single and walk that ended Gerard's day.
Against the first batter he faced, Peyton Alford got a double play – force out at first, then a tag at second – however Chase Cryer scampered home from third on a wild pitch during the next at-bat to make it 3-1. It was the first run of the season charged to a Tech starter and first run scored against the Hokies before the ninth inning.
The Bearkats added a solo home run in the eighth, a two-out shot over the right field fence for Hunter Hearn, his third of the young season that closed out the scoring in the game.
Tech Notes
- Turned one double play in the game, has four this season.
- Improved to 54-99 in the Sunshine State and are now 39-34 in neutral site games in Florida.
- Won its sixth straight game in the state of Florida (dating back to last season).
- Has allowed just five runs through its first three games, the fewest runs allowed to start a season after three wins since 1987, when that program allowed single runs in each of its first three victories.
- Starting pitchers this weekend combined to throw 15 innings and allow just one run on seven hits with 13 strikeouts.
Up Next
Tech will head back to Blacksburg this evening and turn its attention to its home opener at English Field at Union Park on Tuesday afternoon. The Hokies welcome ETSU for a nonconference contest with a scheduled 4 p.m. first pitch.