Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – With Ethan Ball’s four RBIs backing Griffin Stieg’s seven quality innings pitched on Sunday, the Virginia Tech baseball team fought off NC State, 5-4, at English Field, pocketing another prime ACC series victory.
Ball factored into the production of all five of the Hokies’ runs, scoring off his leadoff double during the bottom of the second inning while driving in the next four to set a rookie season high in RBIs. Twice down the stretch, Ball batted the home club into the lead, hammering the go-ahead, three-run homer during the sixth inning – his 10th of the season (team best) – and swinging the game-winning sacrifice fly during the eighth inning.
Stieg toed seven innings for the first time since his sophomore 2024 season, putting Virginia Tech (22-20, 11-13 ACC) in position to clinch its second consecutive conference series at home. After Saturday’s 15-hit performance by the Wolfpack, the right-hander kept NC State (27-16, 10-11 ACC) hitless into the fourth inning, needing only 58 pitches to complete five scoreless innings.
Having retired 16 of the first 18 batters he faced on Sunday, Stieg ran into trouble for the first time during the sixth inning while navigating his third pass through the Wolfpack’s lineup. Rett Johnson started NC State’s rally by beating out Ball’s bare-handed throw on the run for an infield single while Luke Nixon followed with his base hit into right field, creating the most traffic Stieg had faced until this point in the ballgame.
With Stieg falling behind, 3-1, in the ensuing count to Ty Head, Virginia Tech elected to intentionally walk the visiting center fielder to set up the righty-righty matchup against Sherman Johnson. However, Johnson managed to turn the tables on Stieg and the Hokies by finding the alley in right center field, delivering the bases-clearing double that shot the Wolfpack out to the 3-1 lead.
Sam Grube assured Stieg a swift response, leading off the bottom of the sixth inning with his base hit up the middle. After NC State starter Luke Hemrich had walked Henry Cooke on four pitches, drawing a mound conversation, Ball overcame his 0-2 count against Hemrich to barrel the Hokies back into the lead, crushing his go-ahead, three-run homer that tailed over the right field foul pole (estimated at 414 feet).
Virginia Tech took its 4-3 lead into the eighth inning where Preston Crowl walked leadoff batter Rett Johnson to put the potential game-tying runner aboard. Despite Crowl picking up two quick outs, Head – as Sherman Johnson had done during the sixth inning – found the alley in right center field for the game-tying RBI double, despite the Hokies’ nifty, 9-4-5 relay to score the inning’s final out at third base.
With its two-, three- and four-hitters due up during the bottom of the eighth inning, Virginia Tech made its push to break the game’s 4-4 tie and lay claim to a pivotal ACC series.
Hitless until his fourth at-bat of the day, Ethan Gibson connected on his streak-saving single (now 13 games) that introduced Virginia Tech’s go-ahead run with Cooke on deck. Working a full count against right-hander Sam Harris, Cooke pulled a double to left field that would have scored Gibson, had it not taken one hop into the netting above the Hokies’ bullpen.
After NC State had swapped Harris for right-hander Michael Ragusa, Ball fouled off a 2-2 pitch before catching enough distance on his (sacrifice) fly ball to right field to plate Gibson, who was deemed to have tagged from third base legally after the Wolfpack had elected to challenge.
Tasked with protecting Virginia Tech’s 5-4 lead during the ninth inning, left-hander Chase Swift retired NC State in order to collect his first collegiate save, emphatically striking out pinch hitter Brandon Novy to cue the home team’s series-clinching elation.
In victory, Virginia Tech – which has now won six of its last eight games – improved to 5-2 during ACC series finales started by Stieg and 11-1 when holding opponents to four runs or fewer.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will entertain James Madison at English Field on Tuesday, April 28. First pitch between the Hokies and the Dukes is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.