Hokie ClubATLANTA – Charging ahead with its five-run fifth inning on Saturday, the Virginia Tech baseball team was in contention to level its ACC-opening series with No. 5 Georgia Tech despite the Hokies unraveling late during their 14-5 loss to the Yellow Jackets at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Henry Cooke’s center-barrel home run two batters into the fifth inning woke up the bats for Virginia Tech (7-7, 0-2 ACC), which had been kept scoreless through four innings and held to one hit at the time – a single by Owen Petrich during the second inning. Cooke’s solo blast, which towered mightily to left field, halved the Hokies’ deficit at 2-1 and injected new energy into the offense, which began deciphering left-hand starter Dylan Loy.
Ethan Gibson followed Cooke with a base hit into shallow center field, moving into scoring position on the ensuing ball hit to the right side of the infield by Treyson Hughes. Two batters later, Ethan Ball’s game-tying RBI single was booted by right fielder Will Baker for a multi-base error, allowing Hughes to wheel around third base and score the go-ahead run that put the visitors on top for the first time in the series, 3-2.
Sam Grube kept the Virginia Tech offensive surging, bringing the end to Loy’s afternoon by belting the fifth hit of the inning off the southpaw – an RBI single that plated Ball. After the Yellow Jackets had dipped into their bullpen, Hudson Lutterman greeted reliever Jackson Blakely by pulling an RBI double away from left fielder Caleb Daniel and towards the line, scoring Grube to extend the Hokies’ advantage at 5-2.
However, Virginia Tech’s midgame lead proved to be short-lived as Georgia Tech (14-1, 2-0 ACC) rallied immediately for three game-tying runs during the bottom of the inning.
With the first two batters reaching against starter Brett Renfrow, Vahn Lackey belted a two-RBI double down the left field line, clearing the bases and sliding the Yellow Jackets within a run at 5-4. Kent Schmidt followed with the table-setting single that pushed Lackey up 90 feet to third base, from where he trotted home with ease on Ryan Zuckerman’s game-tying sacrifice fly hit to straightaway center field.
Virginia Tech threatened to take the lead during the sixth and seventh innings, twice stranding a runner in scoring position. With the Hokies missing their chance to apply pressure late, Georgia Tech stung for four home runs during the bottom of the seventh inning within a stretch of five plate appearances, spurring its second eight-run inning of the series that sealed the outcome.
Hughes, Ball, Cooke and Gibson each chalked multi-hit games for Virginia Tech, which has now lost six consecutive games, including five against ranked opponents (per D1Baseball).
Schmidt led Georgia Tech with his 4-for-4 day at the plate. Daniel homered twice for the Yellow Jackets while Lackey went 3-for-4 with five RBIs (team high).
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will conclude its series at No. 5 Georgia Tech on Sunday, March 8. First pitch between the Hokies and the Yellow Jackets at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
REMAINING SERIES PROBABLE STARTERS
• Sunday (March 8): TBA vs. Cooper Underwood (1-0, 6.75 ERA)