Hokie ClubARLINGTON, Texas - Locked in a 1-1 ballgame during the sixth inning on Sunday, the Virginia Tech baseball team threw everything it had into its bid to topple No. 20 Tennessee at the 2026 Amegy Bank College Baseball Series, despite coming up short, 3-1, during the Hokies’ final game of the weekend at Globe Life Field.
Logging the longest start of his rookie season, freshman right-hander Ethan Grim went five-plus innings on the mound for Virginia Tech (7-4), which finished winless during its three tournament games at the MLB home of the Texas Rangers – all against ranked competition (per D1Baseball). Grim retired the first eight batters he faced from the jump and later sat down seven in a row after surrendering the game’s first run to the Volunteers during the bottom of the third inning.
Nick Locurto brought Grim level when he led off the fourth inning, carrying a 1-2 pitch off left-hand starter Evan Blanco to left field for the game-tying solo home run. Locurto added a single to his line during the sixth inning, ending 2-for-4 and posting his third multi-hit performance spanning the team’s four-game week.
Besides Locurto, Tennessee (8-3) effectively shut down Virginia Tech’s offense, allowing one hit to the remaining eight starters in the Hokies’ lineup. Owen Petrich opened the seventh inning with his leadoff single into right field, though was denied a chance at scoring when Sam Gates grounded into the inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play.
Blanco went five and one-third innings for the Volunteers, striking out six batters while clocking 91 pitches. Right-handed reliever Brayden Krenzel blanked Virginia Tech during the game’s final three innings, retiring the final seven batters he faced to pick up his first save of the season.
Tennessee’s two-through-four lineup combination of third baseman Henry Ford, left fielder Blaine Brown and catcher Levi Clark accounted for three of the side’s four hits. Ariel Antigua’s two-out infield single during the third inning snowballed when Grim walked leadoff center fielder Jay Abernathy behind him on five pitches, manifesting in Ford’s RBI single up the middle that broke the scoring.
Abernathy led off the bottom of the sixth inning by drawing a second walk off Grim, bringing the end to the rookie’s day. Chase Swift entered by inducing two ground balls - one comeback chopper that Swift recovered to handle smoothly and another by Brown that ricocheted hard off the second base bag, skipping off shortstop Pete Daniel and resulting in the Volunteers’ fluke, go-ahead RBI double.
Clark followed Brown by swinging a more traditional double down the left field line, elevating Tennessee’s lead to 3-1.
Logan Eisenreich capped Virginia Tech’s best combined pitching spectacle of the weekend, dealing two scoreless innings.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will host Marshall on Tuesday, March 3, at English Field. First pitch between the Hokies and the Thundering Herd is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.