Hokie ClubCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Sparked by a seventh-inning home run from Gavin Cross on Sunday, the No. 7 Virginia Tech baseball team completed its comeback from four runs down to defeat No. 11 Virginia, 7-5, at Davenport Field at Disharoon Park.
With the victory, Virginia Tech (31-10, 14-8 ACC) prevailed during an ACC road series in Charlottesville for the first time since joining the league (2005). Tech baseball's series win also clinched the Commonwealth Clash trophy (sponsored by Smithfield) for the Virginia Tech athletic department – the Hokies' first all-sport, head-to-head victory against Virginia since 2018.
Coupled with Friday's win against the Cavaliers, Tech has now won seven consecutive ACC series after starting 0-4 during conference play. Since March 19, the Hokies have won 21 of their last 25 games, including a 9-4 mark against D1Baseball's top 25 poll.
Cross went 3-for-5 to lead Tech during its series-clinching performance, cracking the leadoff double that started the Hokies' comeback from 4-0 down during the top of the fourth inning. The hit from Cross marked Tech's first of the day against left-hander Jake Berry, who had collected nine outs from the first 10 batters he faced.
Virginia (33-12, 14-10 ACC) knocked two home runs off Jordan Geber, ultimately doing the right-hander in for four earned runs during an inning and change on the mound. Alex Tappen smacked a two-run homer off Geber during the first inning while Chris Newell led off the second inning with a solo shot, padding the Cavaliers' lead to 3-0.
After Cross had doubled to start the fourth inning, Berry walked Tanner Schobel and Jack Hurley to load the bases with none out. Cross soon slid home on Eduardo Malinowski's sacrifice fly that put Tech on the scoreboard while Cade Hunter managed to poke an RBI single through the shift to halve to the score at 4-2.
Fortunes carried into the fifth inning for the Hokies, who received back-to-back, one-out singles by Nick Biddison and Cross. Turning on a 2-0 pitch from Berry, Schobel tucked his RBI double deep inside the left field line to plate Cross and put two runners in scoring position, allowing Hurley to deliver the game-tying sacrifice fly during the ensuing at-bat.
Henry Weycker relieved Geber during the second inning and proceeded to blank Virginia during his four and two-thirds innings of relief work. Weycker retired seven consecutive batters prior to the game entering a 21-minute rain delay between the top and bottom of the sixth inning.
Leading off the seventh inning, Cross powered Matt Wyatt's 1-2 delivery into the right field bullpen to hand Tech its first lead of the day at 5-4. The Hokies went on to plate two more runs during the inning as Cade Hunter knocked another RBI single to right field while replay review saved Lucas Donlon an RBI on his infield ball to the left side.
Graham Firoved defended Tech's 7-4 lead, despite granting Tappen his second home run of the game during the bottom of the seventh inning. Firoved picked up the victory, registering five strikeouts while toeing the final three and one-third innings for the Hokies.
NOTEWORTHY
• Virginia Tech's comeback from four runs down on Sunday marked its largest come-from-behind victory against Virginia since March 9, 2012, at Davenport Field (trailed 7-3 after seven innings).
• The Hokies' last true road mutli-game series win at Virginia took place during the 1943 season (two-game set on May 4 & May 5).
• Tech completed its first errorless, three-game series against an ACC opponent since April 2021 (Wake Forest).
UP NEXT
No. 7 Virginia Tech will travel to Marshall on Wednesday, May 4, for a 3 p.m. non-conference game in Huntington, West Virginia.Gallery: (5-1-2022) BSB: at UVA Game 3