TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Behind sophomore right-hander Drue Hackenberg's first career complete game on Saturday, the Virginia Tech baseball team chalked its sixth straight ACC victory as the Hokies held off Florida State, 4-3, at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.
Hackenberg delivered the first complete game victory by a Virginia Tech pitcher since March 22, 2019, when Ian Seymour fired 114 pitches to land the Hokies a home win against North Carolina. On Saturday, Hackenberg needed two more pitches than Seymour to lead Tech to victory, etching a career high with 12 strikeouts while stranding the potential winning run in scoring position during the bottom of the ninth inning.
With the win, Virginia Tech (23-13, 10-9 ACC) has now won six consecutive ACC games and eight of its last nine conference contests. The Hokies, who began the season with a 2-8 league record, have climbed above .500 during conference play for the first time since their March 10 opener against Boston College, soaring within two games of first-place [No. 8] Virginia in the ACC Coastal Division standings.
Back-to-back singles up the middle by Christian Martin and Eddie Eisert opened the door for Tech to take the game's first lead during the top of the second inning. With two outs, rookie catcher Brody Donay knocked the first pitch he saw against starter Conner Whittaker through the left side, plating Martin to earn Donay his eighth RBI of the weekend.
Florida State (13-25, 4-16 ACC) mimicked Tech's production during the bottom of the second inning, rallying for a run on three well-placed singles. Hackenberg had opened the frame with consecutive strikeouts of Nander De Sedas and Cade Bush, recording a third strikeout after Colton Vincent had come through with the game-tying base hit.
Junior outfielder Jack Hurley put the Hokies on top again during the top of the third inning, delivering a hit-and-run double into the left field alley. Hurley's 14th double of the season extended his hitting streak to 19 consecutive games while providing Hackenberg the support he needed to effectively shut down the Seminoles.
Tech grew its lead to 3-1 during the top of the fourth inning amidst Hackenberg's string of nine consecutive batters retired. Despite allowing FSU to sneak within a run courtesy of Jaime Ferrer's RBI double during the fifth inning, the Hokies earned their run back during the sixth inning via the one-two lineup combination of Carson Jones (double) and Clay Grady (RBI single).
Toeing key late innings for Tech, Hackenberg bookended his three-up, three-down seventh inning with a pair of strikeouts, carrying the 4-2 lead into the eighth inning. There, he racked up his 10th and 11th strikeouts of the afternoon, stranding Ferrer in scoring position after the outfielder's second double of the game.
Pitching into the ninth inning for the first time during his collegiate career, Hackenberg persevered through four straight batted balls that allowed Florida State to slide within 4-3 and place the potential winning run at first base.
Needing two outs, Hackenberg picked up a crucial strikeout against Vincent, setting a new career high with his 12th of the afternoon. Despite spotting the Seminoles two runners in scoring position on his wild pitch to leadoff hitter James Tibbs, Hackenberg successfully induced the game-ending fly out to left field, putting the stamp on his third straight winning start.
With Saturday's victory, Virginia Tech clinched its first away series win at Florida State since 2010.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will eye its second straight ACC series sweep on Sunday, April 23, when the Hokies close out their weekend at Florida State. First pitch at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium is scheduled for 11 a.m.