PITTSBURGH, Pa. --The No. 22 Virginia Tech Hokies broke through after a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning to defeat the No. 14 Pittsburgh Panthers 8-4 Sunday.
Freshman Matthew Siverling (3-0) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Virginia Tech (13-8, 9-6). The left-hander went three shutout innings while giving up three hits, allowing no walks and striking out three. Junior Shane Connolly also made an impact on the mound for the Hokies, starting the ballgame and throwing four innings, giving up one run on three hits, with two walks and six strikeouts.
Offensively, the Hokies were led by freshman Fritz Genther, who went 1-for-3 on the day with a double, two walks and two RBIs. Freshman Carson Jones compiled a noteworthy day at the plate as well, going 1-for-5 with a home run and an RBI. Freshman Jack Hurley also chipped in for Virginia Tech, putting together three hits in six trips to the plate while adding two RBIs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hokies got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the top of the first inning. Virginia Tech got an RBI single from freshman TJ Rumfield, scoring Hurley from second base.
After the Panthers rallied to tie the ballgame at one, the Hokies came back to retake the lead in the fourth inning. Virginia Tech picked up a run on Jones' two-out solo home run off of senior Hansen, which brought the Hokies lead to 2-1.
Virginia Tech kept Pittsburgh scoreless before building their lead to 4-1 in the sixth inning. Sophomore Kevin Madden's run-scoring single highlighted a two-run output in the frame for the Hokies.
The Panthers then tied the game at four before Virginia Tech came back to retake their advantage in the eighth inning. The Hokies recorded two runs off of Pittsburgh pitching, punctuated by a run-scoring double off the bat of Genther, bringing the Virginia Tech advantage to 6-4.
The Hokies kept Pittsburgh off the board before building on their lead to 8-4 the following inning. Virginia Tech picked up two runs when a single from Hurley scored sophomore Jonah Seagears and freshman Dayne Leonard. The score remained 8-4 for the rest of the game, as the Hokies coasted to the win.
GAME NOTES
» Hurley had three base hits in the game for Virginia Tech.
» Connolly struck out six Panthers hitters.
» Every Virginia Tech starter reached base safely in the win.
» The Virginia Tech pitching staff combined to strike out 13 Pittsburgh hitters.
» The Hokies out-hit the Panthers at a 13-8 clip.
» The Hokies drew six walks from Pittsburgh pitching.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.