BLACKSBURG – Twice facing deficits of six or more runs, the Virginia Tech baseball team continued to battle all Sunday long as it looked to get a win in its ACC series final game against No. 15 Clemson at English Field at Union Park on Sunday.
However, with the tying run on base twice in the middle frames (when down one), and the tying run at the plate in the final inning, Clemson was able to hold off the Hokies and take the final game 12-9.
The contest was quickly 6-0 in the Tigers' favor after the top of the first as Bryce Teodosia capped the inning with a three-run home run, his eighth of the season. The Tigers added a single run in the second and seemed to be well in control.
Tech (16-12, 4-8 ACC) battled back, though, scoring six unanswered – two unearned runs in the third, three in the fourth, two scoring on wild pitches, and an RBI single by Dalton Harum, one of his career-high four hits during the afternoon, pulled the Hokies to within one at 7-6.
Harum actually took second on the throw home, which scored Kevin Madden, and would have crossed the plate himself and tied the game on Jack Owens's at-bat. However, his lined ball towards third was snagged by Grayson Byrd to end the threat.
The Hokies also had the tying run on third – Kerry Carpenter – with one out in the sixth, but Tiger reliever Holt Jones notched back-to-back strikeouts to get out of that jam.
The Tigers (22-6, 9-3 ACC) seemed to put the game away with five more runs in the top of the seventh, as two unearned runs (and three total) crossed the plate after a failed double play throw sailed into the outfield.
Tech, though, was not done, as Carpenter hit a two-run home run in the home half of the eighth, which also scored Owens. It was Carpenter's seventh long ball of the year and his third hit of the game.
In the ninth, Madden singled for the third time and with two outs, Harum notched his fourth hit bringing the tying run to the plate, but a strikeout ended the game as the Hokies left nine on base during the day.
Out of the bullpen, Nic Enright tossed a career-high 5.2 innings of relief and struck out six batters, one shy of his career high set last year, which aided in Tech's comeback effort.
Up Next
The Hokies upcoming midweek game is on Tuesday at VMI, a scheduled 6 p.m. start., while Tech will also be on the road at Wake Forest for its next ACC series.Gallery: (3/31/2019) 2019 BASEBALL vs. CLEMSON SUNDAY