GAME 1 | Miami (FL) 21, No. 17 Virginia Tech 6
CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Four Virginia Tech players recorded multiple hits, but the No. 17 Hokies fell to the Miami (FL) Hurricanes 21-6 Saturday.
Sophomore Drue Hackenberg (1-2) got the ball to start for Virginia Tech (12-6, 1-4-0) and took the loss.
Sophomore Christian Martin led the hit barrage for the Hokies, going 2-for-3 in the ballgame with a walk. Freshman Clay Grady put together a noteworthy performance as well, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hokies put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the scoring in the second inning. Virginia Tech got on the board thanks to junior Gehrig Ebel's RBI double with two outs.
The Hurricanes then rallied to score seven runs and take a 7-1 lead before the Hokies got back on the board in the sixth. Virginia Tech pushed two runs across on a two-run double off the bat of Grady that scored sophomore Sam Tackett and junior Chris Sparber, which tightened the Hurricanes lead to 7-3.
Miami (FL) expanded their lead to 9-3 before the Virginia Tech offense got going, reducing that lead to 9-4 in the seventh. The Hokies scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Tackett.
The Hurricanes expanded their lead to 19-4 before the Virginia Tech offense got back to work, cutting into that lead in the eighth. The Hokies scored twice on back-to-back home runs from freshman Brody Donay and Grady, tightening the Miami (FL) lead to 19-6. The Hokies were unable to get any closer, as Miami (FL) added two runs to their tally on the way to a 21-6 final.
GAME NOTES
» Virginia Tech's power output was led by Grady, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Virginia Tech's highest scoring inning was the eighth, when it pushed two runs across.
» Four Virginia Tech hitters had multiple base knocks in the ballgame.
» Virginia Tech left 10 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» Virginia Tech pitchers faced 59 Miami (FL) hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out nine.
» The Hokies drew six walks from Miami (FL) pitching.
» Grady led the Hokies at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBI.
» Miami (FL) was led offensively by senior Dario Gomez, who went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI.
» Sophomore Gage Ziehl led the Hurricanes pitching staff, throwing five innings of one-run ball.
GAME 2 | Miami (FL) 12, No. 17 Virginia Tech 9
CORAL GABLES, Fla. --The No. 17 Virginia Tech Hokies took a 7-6 lead into the eighth inning, but could not hang on and fell 12-9 to the Miami (FL) Hurricanes Saturday.
Senior Kiernan Higgins (1-1) came out of the bullpen for Virginia Tech (12-7, 1-5-0) and took the loss. Sophomore Tyler Dean was a bright spot for the Hokies, coming out of the bullpen as well and throwing 2.1 shutout innings, allowing one hit, with one walk and three strikeouts.
At the plate, the Hokies were led by sophomore Carson DeMartini, who went 3-for-4 on the day with two home runs and two RBI. Sophomore Sam Tackett put together a noteworthy performance as well, going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Junior Carson Jones also chipped in for Virginia Tech, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a home run, a walk and two RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hokies got on the scoreboard first, starting in the second inning. Virginia Tech hit two home runs in the inning on the way to scoring five runs.
The Hokies then held the Hurricanes scoreless before expanding their lead in the fourth inning. Virginia Tech picked up a run on freshman Garrett Michel's one-out solo home run off of junior Alejandro Rosario, which brought the score to 6-0 in favor of the Hokies.
Miami (FL) narrowed Virginia Tech's lead to 6-2 before the Hokies stretched the advantage to 7-2 in the fifth inning. The Hokies scored a run on DeMartini's two-out solo home run off Rosario.
The Hurricanes fought back, closing the gap to 7-6 until Virginia Tech added some insurance in the eighth. The Hokies scored twice on Jones' two-run homer, bringing the score to 9-6 in favor of Virginia Tech. The Hokies were unable to hold the lead, as Miami (FL) scored six times over the remaining one inning to grab the 12-9 win.
GAME NOTES
» Virginia Tech got a two-homer day from DeMartini.
» DeMartini led the Hokies, compiling three base knocks in the ballgame.
» Virginia Tech's power output was led by DeMartini, who compiled two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Tackett drove in four runs for the Hokies.
» Virginia Tech's highest scoring inning was the second, when it pushed five runs across.
» The Hokies took Miami (FL) pitchers deep five times on Saturday.
» The Hokies out-hit the Hurricanes at an 11-9 clip.
» Virginia Tech pitchers faced 38 Miami (FL) hitters in the game, allowing four ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out eight.
» DeMartini led the Hokies at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and two RBI.
» Miami (FL) was led offensively by junior CJ Kayfus, who went 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI.
» Sophomore Rafe Schlesinger led the Hurricanes pitching staff, throwing one scoreless inning.