Hokie ClubBOSTON – Swinging big inside one of baseball's grandest cathedrals, the No. 8 Virginia Tech baseball team came home with the 6-1 win against Boston College at Fenway Park during the Eagles' 10th annual ALS Awareness Game.
Sophomore outfielder Jack Hurley chose to avoid the Green Monster in favor of slugging his 11th home run of the season to right field during the top of the sixth inning. After BC had dropped Tanner Schobel's infield pop-up during the previous at-bat, Hurley drove a 1-1 pitch from Henry Leake well fair of the Pesky Pole, delivering the Hokies their final lead at 3-1.
Freshman right-hander Drue Hackenberg charted a big-league performance on the mound, holding the Eagles to a lone run during his seven-inning start that featured seven strikeouts. Hackenberg improved his season record to 8-0 after making his ninth start (10th appearance) of the 2022 season, lowering his season ERA to 2.10.
Virginia Tech (27-9, 11-7 ACC) notched its 17th win across its last 20 games, clinching its sixth consecutive ACC series. Tech also improved to 11-3 during its last 14 league games and enters Sunday seated in sole possession of second place in the ACC Coastal Division.
Making his fourth start of the season, Lucas Donlon went 3-for-4 to lead the Hokies, scoring three runs. Donlon recorded Tech's game-tying run during the top of the third inning, standing up easily as Gavin Cross bounced his RBI ground-rule double down the right field line.
Cross drove in Donlon again during the seventh inning, poking his two-out RBI single through the right side. Tech rallied for two more insurance runs during the top of the ninth inning, closing its scoring with an RBI single by Hurley.
Kiernan Higgins relieved Hackenberg at the start of the eighth inning, striking out four of the eight batters he faced while dusting off his third save of the season.
Travis Honeyman and Parker Landwehr combined to yield four of the Eagles' six hits. Landwehr connected on the two-out RBI single that put Boston College (15-24, 3-17 ACC) ahead, 1-0, during the first inning.
Saturday's 10th annual ALS Awareness Game is dedicated to the legacy of former BC baseball captain Pete Frates, who tragically passed in 2019 after his courageous battle with ALS. All proceeds from Saturday's game will benefit the Peter Frates Foundation that serves ALS research and assists families with meeting the high needs and costs associated with care for ALS patients.
NOTEWORTHY
• Saturday marked Virginia Tech's first appearance at Fenway Park. The Hokies last competed in a MLB ballpark during the 1998 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship (Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia).
UP NEXT
No. 8 Virginia Tech will play for its first ACC sweep of the season on Sunday, April 24, when the Hokies return to Harrington Athletics Village. First pitch between Tech and BC is scheduled for 1 p.m.Gallery: (4-23-2022) BSB: Boston College Game 2 at Fenway Park