BLACKSBURG, Va. – Led by Christian Martin's three doubles and Garrett Michel's four hits, the Virginia Tech baseball team bookended Saturday's game against Rhode Island with plenty of offense as the Hokies prevailed, 7-2, to secure their first home series win of 2024 at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
After starting the season 1-for-12 at the plate, Martin followed Friday's 2-for-4 day at the dish with his 3-for-5 performance on Saturday, belting three doubles to all areas of the ballpark. The junior second baseman went to work on Tech's first offensive pitch of the afternoon, cracking a leadoff double to right field and soon scoring on Michel's RBI single – the first leg of his 4-for-4 game.
Together, Martin and Michel combined to swing seven of the Hokies' 15 hits and five of the team's 10 extra-base knocks. Michel finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, connecting on a leadoff double during the fifth inning (achieving an exit velocity of 117 miles per hour) and a solo home run during the eighth inning that set the final score.
Despite Virginia Tech (4-2) grabbing the early lead, Rhode Island (1-4) answered back during the top of the second inning when Scott Penney stroked an RBI double off starter Wyatt Parliament. Tech's right-hander responded immediately with back-to-back strikeouts of Rob Butler and Will Hindle – two of his six strikeouts earned during his four and two-thirds innings on the mound.
Senior catcher Gehrig Ebel sparked the Hokies' two-out rally during the bottom of the second inning, teeing off on his second home run of the season that put Tech in front, 2-1. Clay Grady followed by driving a triple through the alley in right center field, trotting home easily when Martin's second of three doubles bounced off the wall inside the left field foul pole.
Outside of surrendering a solo home run to DJ Perron during the top of the third inning, Parliament comfortably held URI to two runs, allowing four hits in total. The junior transfer from Rutgers was lifted one out short of qualifying for the victory, as earned by David Shoemaker for dutifully preserving the Hokies' 3-2 lead, stranding runners at the corners to end the Rams' fifth inning.
Virginia Tech successfully navigated a one-run ballgame into the seventh inning, where the Hokies plated three runs on a pair of big home run swings. Sixth-year outfielder Chris Cannizzaro rode the first pitch of the inning to left field to loosen the tension, three batters before rookie David McCann hammered a two-run, pinch-hit blast to right field that pushed Tech's lead to 6-2.
Brady Kirtner and Jacob Exum blanked Rhode Island down the stretch, combining for two and two-thirds scoreless innings in closing. Kirtner denied the Rams a fighting chance during the eighth inning, leaving two runners aboard upon making pinch-hitter Jack Hopko whiff at the inning-ending third strike.
Penney manifested his run-scoring double into a 3-for-4 day to lead URI. Perron and Hindle also recorded a pair of multi-hit games for the Rams.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will play for the series sweep against Rhode Island on Sunday, Feb. 25. First pitch between the Hokies and the Rams is scheduled for 1 p.m. at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
Gallery: (2-24-2024) BSB: Rhode Island Game 2