BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech sophomore Carson Taylor hit a solo home run and had two RBI total in leading the Hokies to their third straight victory overall, a 5-3 nonconference win over George Mason on Wednesday afternoon at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
Taylor, who has 13 hits over his last six games, has scored a run in nine straight games, and had a career-high five RBI last night, went 3-for-4 against the Patriots and also scored a pair of runs to help the Hokies improve to 11-5 overall that includes an 8-0 mark at home this season.
Tech jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first – RBI single for Taylor and Kevin Madden sacrifice fly – and led 4-0 after the fifth. Taylor added a solo home run in the third then doubled and scored in the fifth on a Tanner Thomas RBI single.
George Mason (1-14) scored its only runs of the game off home runs, with Pete Nielsen hitting a solo home run in the sixth and Lyle Miller-Green a two-run shot in the ninth that finished off the day's scoring.
Nick Biddison had two hits, extending both of his streaks – hitting to 14 straight and reaching base to 23 consecutive – while Brennan Reback stole three bases for the second time this season. He stole second and third in the sixth before coming home on a Fritz Genther sacrifice fly that made it 5-1 at the time.
Six Tech pitchers combined to allow just four hits in the game, as Ryan Metz picked up his first win of the year with two scoreless innings and a strikeout. Henry Weycker (2.0 IP/2 K), Jaison Heard (2.0/3), Peyton Alford (1.0/1), Peter Sakellaris (1.0) and Zach Brzykcy (1.0/2) finished off the game for the Hokies.
At one point, Tech pitchers combined to retire a season-best 15 straight Patriots, which was ended by the solo home run that hit the left foul point. Also of note, Sakellaris used just five pitches – all strikes – to get out of his frame.
Quick notes:
- Tech now owns a 16-14-1 record against George Mason and are 9-6 at home. The win ended a four-game non-winning streak (0-3-1) against the Patriots and is the first over them since March 13, 1997.
- The team's perfect 8-0 record at home is the program's best start to a season since the 2012 squad won its first eight games in Blacksburg
- Adding the final home win from 2019, Tech has won nine straight at home, the longest streak since the team won 11 straight from April 28, 2015 through March 4, 2016. The nine straight wins are currently tied for the 11th longest in the nation.
- The Hokies stole three bases tonight, giving them 35 for the season, already more than last year's 30. Over the last five seasons, the high-water mark is 39 (2018).
- The game lasted just 2 hours and 13 minutes, the team's fastest game since March 5, 2017 against Binghamton (2:12).
Up Next:
The Hokies continue their five-game homestand this weekend when they welcome the fifth-ranked Miami Hurricanes to Blacksburg for a three-game ACC series starting Friday at 4 p.m.Gallery: (3/11/2020) 2020 BASEBALL vs. GEORGE MASON