BLACKSBURG – Hammering 23 hits on Tuesday – the most its offense has recorded during a game since 2010 – the No. 11 Virginia Tech baseball team decisively put away UMass Lowell as the Hokies won the opening game of their two-game series against the River Hawks, 22-4, at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
Virginia Tech (10-2) witnessed six of its nine starters register multi-hit performances, highlighted by four players who charted three-plus hits: rookie shortstop Clay Grady (5-for-6), junior outfielder Eddie Eisert (5-for-5), freshman catcher Henry Cooke (4-for-6) and fifth-year outfielder Chris Cannizzaro (3-for-7). Together, the Hokies' 23 hits marked the most Tech had totaled during head coach John Szefc's six seasons at the helm in Blacksburg and the program's best output since March 15, 2010, against Columbia (26).
Grady led the Hokies with six RBIs – the first two of which were earned when he connected on his first collegiate home run during the bottom of the second inning. Eisert had opened Tech's scoring four batters earlier with a two-run blast of his own, putting the gears in motion for the Hokies' roaring afternoon at the plate.
Jack Hurley led off the third inning with a solo home run to left center, padding Tech's lead at the time to 5-1. After the Hokies had loaded the bases behind the junior, Grady stepped in with two outs and pushed a two-RBI single through the hole on the left side, plating a pair of unearned runs for the home team.
Left-hand reliever Matthew Siverling picked up a short start by freshman Nick Finarelli, delivering two and one-third innings of relief – his longest outing since returning in 2022 from thoracic outlet syndrome. Siverling led the Hokies' staff with four strikeouts, picking up his first winning decision since April 2021 (fifth of his career).
Despite scoring during the first inning, UMass Lowell (2-8) struggled to keep up with Virginia Tech. Jacob Humphrey went 5-for-5 from the visitors' leadoff spot, accounting for half of the River Hawks' 10 hits.
Humphrey's RBI double during the fourth inning was answered by Eisert's RBI single as Tech reclaimed its six-run lead, carrying it into the fifth inning. There, three straight leadoff singles by the Hokies led to a five-run offensive spurt, accentuated by Garrett Michel's two-RBI double and Eisert's third run-producing part of the cycle (double).
With the game out of reach, Virginia Tech closed by combining to plate nine runs during the seventh and eighth innings. Among its late-inning moments, Nick Holesa hit a pinch-hit, two-run home run, Warren Holzemer earned an RBI on his first collegiate double and Cooke legged out his first career triple when UMass Lowell lost tracking on his fly ball near the wall in left field.
Tech's offense combined to swing 11 extra-base hits on Tuesday – its highest slugging total since its March 19, 2022, victory against Pitt (12).
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Winner of seven straight games, No. 11 Virginia Tech will play for the midweek sweep of UMass Lowell on Wednesday, March 8, at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park. First pitch between the Hokies and the River Hawks is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Gallery: (3-7-2023) BSB: UMass Lowell Game 1