Hokie ClubCORAL GABLES, Fla. – Behind six strong innings by right-hander Griffin Stieg on Sunday, the Virginia Tech baseball team won its series finale at Miami, 6-3, at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
Stieg quieted the Hurricanes’ torrid lineup that had registered 15 extra-base hits through the series’ opening two games. Beginning with two hitless innings, the redshirt junior had the benefit of pitching from ahead through the duration of his start, ultimately holding the home club to two runs on seven hits while recording three strikeouts.
Virginia Tech (15-15, 6-9 ACC) avoided a sweep at Miami (24-8, 6-6 ACC), improving to 6-2 this season spanning Stieg’s starts (4-1 against the ACC). The Hokies plated two runs during the second and third innings to control their largest lead of the series, adding two insurance runs during the ninth inning to deny the Hurricanes hopes of a theatrical comeback.
Singles by Willie Hurt and Sam Gates during the second inning set the table for Virginia Tech’s first scoring opportunity of the afternoon. Ethan Gibson followed by knocking the go-ahead, two-out RBI single for the Hokies that skirted errantly behind left fielder Dylan Dubovik and rolled to the wall, scoring Gates as a bonus while advancing Gibson to third base.
Sitting on its 2-0 lead during the third inning, Ethan Ball and Sam Grube hammered back-to-back home runs for Virginia Tech, dialing in long-distance swings to left field. Ball carried his solo homer by the estimated 402 feet to left field while Grube’s response on the very next pitch was clocked at the estimated 362 feet to the same part of the ballpark.
Despite the early fireworks, Virginia Tech endured a stretch of 14 consecutive outs before producing its next base runner during the top of the eighth inning. Right-handed starter AJ Ciscar settled in after being charged for four runs (three earned), ultimately charting eight strikeouts without allowing a walk.
Miami finally figured out Stieg during the bottom of the third inning, swinging three hits against the right-hander – two singles sandwiched around an RBI double by Daniel Cuvet. However, Stieg and the Hokies’ defense handled the plays before them, stranding runners at the corners during the third inning before turning a 6-4-3 double play that ended the fourth inning.
After Max Galvin’s RBI single during the sixth inning had trimmed Virginia Tech’s lead to 4-2, fortunes began pointing the Hurricanes’ way during the bottom of the eighth inning when they managed to put two runners in scoring position with one out. However, right fielder Sam Grube proceeded to rob Galvin of another run-scoring hit with his tumbling, highlight catch of a dying flare, doubling up Derek Williams, 9-6, who had taken off confidently with Alex Sosa on the play.
Grube’s diving catch manifested into two much-needed insurance runs by Virginia Tech during the ninth inning. Gibson capped the rally with his second RBI hit of the day, leading the Hokies with his 2-for-4 game from the eight-spot.
Miami challenged Preston Crowl again during the bottom of the ninth inning, coming one base runner shy of presenting the potential game-tying run. Jake Odgen’s bunt to the pitcher’s mound went down as the rally-killer that preempted Crowl’s five-pitch strikeout of Cuvet, cementing his fourth save of the season.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will welcome Liberty to English Field on Tuesday, April 7. First pitch between the Hokies and the Flames is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.