BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech baseball team scored eight runs over the first four frames then put seven on the board in the eighth to put away the Bryant Bulldogs by a count of 15-4 in the first of a three-game set at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park on Friday afternoon.
Four Hokies had at least three hits in the contest, led by Carson Taylor's four-hit, career-high four-RBI effort, while Gavin Cross, Kevin Madden and Fritz Genther each had three hits and scored twice. Madden added three RBI, including a two-run home run – his second of the year – that capped off a four-run first inning.
With the win, Tech has now won four straight and improved to 5-3 on the season, while Bryant dropped to 2-6. It was also the Hokies' 16th straight win at home in the month of February, which dates back to the 2013 season.
Chris Gerard won his first of the year after tossing 5.0 innings and striking out six batters. It's his fifth career game with at least five strikeouts and includes all three of his starts in 2020. Henry Weycker (1.1 IP/1 K), Nathan Starliper (1.2/2) and Peter Sakellaris (1.0/2) closed out the pitching line for Tech, allowing just one unearned run over that span.
Of Taylor's four hits, three went for extra bases, including an RBI triple in the first and two doubles in the eighth, the second plated two and completed Tech's scoring for the day.
Offensively, Tech posted a season-high in runs (15), hits (16), extra-base hits (5), RBI (12), walks (7) and stolen bases (8). In fact, the eight stolen bases are the most for the team since joining the ACC (2005), one more than the previous high of seven versus Richmond (April 10, 2007), while Brennan Reback stole three of them, the first Hokie to swipe three bags in a game since Saige Jenco (Feb. 25, 2014 versus Radford).
Quick notes:
- Tech is now 30-3 in its history in home games during the month of February and including that 16-game winning streak. It's last loss at home in the month was Feb. 23, 2013, a 7-3 setback to Temple.
- All-time, Tech is now 5-6 against the Bryant Bulldogs.
Up Next:
Tech's series with Bryant will continue at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park on Saturday at 1 p.m. Please note the time change for this game, while Sunday's contest is also scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Gallery: (2/28/2020) 2020 BASEBALL vs. BRYANT GAME 1