BLACKSBURG – Just two days after being held scoreless for the first time all season, the Virginia Tech baseball team's offense got back into its groove as the Hokies again reached the 16-run plateau with their 16-1 victory Tuesday night over High Point at English Field at Union Park.
Tech (14-6) has reached double figures in runs scored six times this season, including in its last four wins. The Hokies also improved to 9-0 this year in games decided by five or more runs and are 8-2 at home, which also gives them 498 victories in its 30-year history at English Field at Union Park.
In home games this season, the Hokies have outscored their opposition 22-4 in the first inning. Four of those Tech runs came in tonight's game, as Kevin Madden ignited the team's offense with his second home run of the season – a grand slam, the team's second grand slam of the year.
That was all the run support the pitching staff would need. Luke Scherzer, who got the start on the mound, improved to 2-2 after tossing 5.0 innings, allowing just a single run and striking out four. Graham Seitz, Alex Havlicek (2 Ks), Nick Vickers (1 K) and Jack Goonan (2 Ks) each fired a scoreless inning in relief and combined to allow just one hit.
The Hokies offense wasn't done, though, after the first as they scored three in the third and locked the game away with an eight-run fourth. Nick Menken provided a two-out, two-RBI single in the third and the key hit in the fourth was a two-out, two-RBI double off the bat of Luke Horanski.
Three Hokies had multi-hit games, Madden, Nick Owens and Kerry Carpenter, who extended his reached base streak to 20 straight games. Horanski and Carson Taylor led the team with three runs scored, while Madden had a game-high five RBI. Also of note, August Haymaker had a single in the eighth inning, his first collegiate hit.
Tech notes
- The Hokies are now 23-6-1 all-time against High Point and 7-2-1 at home.
- Tech has won seven straight in the series, 11 of the last 12 and have scored at least nine runs in the last five meetings.
- Not counting the exhibition game last October, the two teams last met before tonight on May 8, 2013.
Up Next
Tech continues its busy week, finishing off a pair of midweek games on the road against Marshall Wednesday starting at 4 p.m. before turning its attention to the upcoming ACC series. The Hokies will play host to No. 8 North Carolina for a three-game ACC series at English Field at Union Park that opens on Friday with a 6 p.m. first pitch.
A reminder to fans looking to attend any ACC home games this season – tickets are required. CLICK HERE to purchase in advance.
Gallery: (3/19/2019) 2019 BASEBALL vs. HIGH POINT