TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Despite erasing an early deficit during Sunday's series finale, the Virginia Tech baseball team missed its chance to sweep Florida State as the Hokies came up on the wrong side of the teams' 4-3 result at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.
Designated hitter Carson DeMartini recorded the lone multi-hit effort of the day for Virginia Tech (23-14, 10-10 ACC), which witnessed the end of its six-game winning streak against ACC opponents. Batting from the third spot in Tech's lineup, the sophomore accounted for two of the Hokies' five hits – a tie for their third lowest output of the 2023 season.
Falling into a 3-0 deficit after three innings of play, Tech made its move during the top of the fourth inning. With Garrett Michel aboard following his one-out walk, Brody Donay singled his fellow rookie into scoring position, lying the Hokies a pair of base runners with the top of the order lurking behind.
Approaching the plate with two outs, leadoff man Carson Jones worked a six-pitch walk off right-hand starter Carson Montgomery, loading the bases for freshman shortstop Clay Grady. Turning on Montgomery's first delivery, Grady poked a shallow fly ball into left field, dropping it short of the converging Seminoles for a quiet, two-RBI single.
Trailing by a run, DeMartini continued Tech's scoring surge, belting the game-tying single into right field that scored Jones from second base and knotted the action at 3-3.
Spotting the Hokies a Sunday start – the first of his NCAA Division I career – fifth-year southpaw Jonah Hurney delivered three innings on the hill, weathering two run-scoring sequences by Florida State (14-25, 5-16 ACC). James Tibbs III cracked a pair of hits and scored two runs off Hurney, doing him in for a two-run home run during the bottom of the third inning.
Freshman right-hander Jacob Exum picked up Hurney at the start of the fourth inning, where he fell victim to two FSU singles that plated the game's eventual winning run. Exum finished by reining in 10 outs from the 12 batters he faced in relief, preserving the game's one-run score line into the seventh inning.
Swinging cold bats down the stretch, Virginia Tech was denied a hit in the wake of DeMartini's game-tying single, stranding seven runners on base from the fourth inning onward.
Jamie Arnold collected the victory for Florida State, striking out three batters during his three scoreless innings of relief. Tech left-hander Andrew Sentlinger matched Arnold's three strikeouts, collecting the final four defensive outs for the Hokies.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will open a four-game home stand in Blacksburg on Tuesday, April 25, when the Hokies entertain James Madison. First pitch at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park is scheduled for 7 p.m.