BLACKSBURG – Runs were at a premium at English Field at Union Park as the Bryant Bulldogs and Virginia Tech Hokies combined to score just nine over 18 innings of action during their doubleheader on Saturday. The Hokies won the first game 2-1, but Bryant took the second game, and won the three-game set, with a 4-2 victory in Game 2.
Tech (8-2) trailed 1-0 in the first game as the Bulldogs plated an unearned run in the first inning. The Hokies tied the game in the second on Dalton Harum's RBI single that scored Jack Owens, who had doubled.
Tech pitchers Chris Gerard (5.2 IP/4K), Jaison Heard (2.0/3) and Zach Brzykcy (1.1/3) combined to hold Bryant scoreless the rest of the game, as they scattered nine hits and four walks.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Hokies had runners on the corners with one out after Nick Biddison walked and Luke Horanski's single moved him to third. With Owens at the plate, an attempted squeeze play was unsuccessful due to the fact that Bryant pitcher Tyler Schoff's pitch was well outside, but Biddison continued racing home and scored the go-ahead run.
In the ninth, Brzykcy (2-0) allowed the leadoff batter to single and move to third with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the game and gave Tech the win.
The Bulldogs (4-5) again took a 1-0 lead, and this time after Tech tied the game in the third, scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to take a two-run lead into the final three frames.
(3/2/2019) 2019 BASEBALL vs. BRYANT DOUBLEHEADER
The Hokies tied the game on a Nick Owens RBI single that plated Nick Menken, who had doubled. Trailing 3-1, Kerry Carpenter hit a solo home run in the fifth to pull Tech back to within one, but the team had just one baserunner over the last four frames.
Tech did have a golden opportunity to break the game open themselves in the fourth, loading the bases with no outs, but Bryant starter Vito Morgese retired the next three Hokies to get out of the jam.
Up Next
The Hokies will take a couple days off from competition before hitting the road this week. They will travel to Lynchburg to face Liberty on Tuesday – first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m. – and then head to Tallahassee, Florida to open ACC play with a three-game set against the Florida State Seminoles starting on Friday.