No. 18 Hokies drop Game 2 to Rams

BLACKSBURG – No. 18 Virginia Tech baseball lost its third game of the season, falling to VCU 10-6 on Wednesday at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.

The Hokies (8-3, 4-2 ACC) lost to the Rams (6-6, 0-0 A-10) in Game 2 of the two-game tilt, after beating VCU the day before 10-9 in walk-off fashion.

Jackson Ritchey (0-1) got his first career start for the Hokies on Wednesday, his second appearance of the season. Ryan Metz (0-0) had an impressive night of his own, with a career-high five strikeouts.

Tech scored six runs on 11 hits. Tanner Schobel added two more RBIs to bring his season total to 17. Gavin Cross went 4 for 5 on the day, scoring three runs alone.

THE GAME

The Hokies scored first in the bottom of the first inning, their first time scoring before their opponent since the season opener against Kent State (4-4, 0-0 MAC) on Feb. 21. The Rams answered with three runs in the top of the second to take a 3-1 lead.

The Rams added three more runs in the fourth inning and took a 6-2 lead over the Hokies. Tech added three runs in the bottom of the fifth, making it a one-run game. Fritz Genther doubled in the bottom of the seventh inning to add a run for the Hokies, but the late push was not enough as the Rams held Tech at bay in the later frames with no multi-run innings.

Tech's pitching staff, which ended up being five pitchers on the night, after seven the day before, tallied 12 strikeouts on the night.

NOTES

- Schobel had two RBIs on two hits, bringing his season total to 17. He had four against Miami (Fla.) and three against VCU.  

- This was Cross' first four-game hit of his career. His last multi-hit game was on March 5 against then-ranked No. 25 North Carolina (7-4).

-Three pitchers for the Hokies made their season debuts in Game 2. Griffin Green, Jonah Hurney and Nolan Wilson all pitched for Tech, throwing a combined six strikeouts and only one walk.

UP NEXT

Tech will play host to Florida State (4-5, 2-4 ACC) with Game 1 of the three-game series starting at 4 p.m. on Friday at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
 

Gallery: (3-10-2021) 2021 BASEBALL vs. VCU WEDNESDAY