Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Storming out to the 4-0 lead during the first inning on Saturday, the Virginia Tech baseball team felt destined for a series sweep against Clemson despite letting control slip back to the Tigers as the Hokies were defeated, 10-8, during the teams’ regular season finale at English Field.
During his final collegiate game in Blacksburg, senior catcher Henry Cooke went 2-for-3 with three RBIs to lead Virginia Tech (29-22, 15-15 ACC), which completed conference play with its second best ACC winning percentage under ninth-year head coach John Szefc. Hudson Lutterman matched Cooke with three RBIs – as earned on his three-run home run during the first inning – while shortstop Pete Daniel doubled inside his 2-for-4 game.
Virginia Tech seemed headed for a runaway result after batting around during the bottom of the first inning, receiving enormous home run swings from Ethan Gibson and Lutterman. From his perch in the two-spot, Gibson uncorked a solo home run to straightaway center field (estimated at 415 feet) that rattled starter Aidan Knaak, who allowed two more batters to reach base before surrendering a three-run homer to Lutterman that comfortably cleared the left field fence.
After cracking two hits against starter Griffin Stieg during its scoreless first inning, Clemson (31-25, 10-20 ACC) chipped a run off the Hokies’ lead during the second inning, relying on the speed of shortstop Tyler Lichtenberger. Swiping second base after his leadoff single, Lichtenberger came around to score on Jay Dillard’s RBI single through the right side, foreshadowing the Tigers’ resiliency to come during the top of the third inning.
There, Clemson caught the best of Stieg, rallying for five runs on four combined hits against him and reliever Luke Craytor.
With two runners in scoring position, Nate Savoie cut Virginia Tech’s lead to 4-2 when he deadened a shift-beating ball towards the right side of the infield, leaving Gibson and Stieg no practical chance of completing the out at first base. Resetting after a mound visit, Stieg’s woes continued as Luke Gaffney greeted him with loud contact to left center field that resulted in the go-ahead, three-run homer that put the Hokies behind, 5-4.
Having knocked Stieg out after two and one-third innings, the Tigers snuck in one more run during the third inning against Craytor, executing a double steal of second base (Jack Crighton) and home (Dillard) to park their midgame advantage at 6-4.
Virginia Tech threatened to retake the lead during the bottom of the fourth inning, pairing a leadoff single by Owen Petrich with a double by Sam Grube that plopped two ducks into scoring position. After Gibson had drawn a seven-pitch walk to load the bases, Cooke poked a sacrifice fly to center field that crept the Hokies within 6-5, though it was all the home team could muster with the game hanging in the balance.
With both sides rolling out a steady stream of bullpen arms, Virginia Tech managed to stay within a run of Clemson into the late innings when the Tigers began widening their handle on the contest. Jacob Jarrell and Crighton delivered RBI singles during the seventh inning before solo home runs by Purify (eighth inning) and Crighton (ninth inning) pushed the margin to 10-5 heading into the Hokies’ last ups.
For the second consecutive game, Virginia Tech made a heroic effort at stunning the Tigers during the ninth inning, bringing nine batters to the plate to position both the potential game-tying and game-winning runners on base.
With two outs, a run already home and the bases loaded, Cooke – in what would go down as his final plate appearance at English Field – knocked the two-RBI single up the middle that brought the Hokies within 10-8 with the heart of the order due up behind him. Despite Ball extending the inning as a hit batsman, reloading the bases, Lutterman narrowly missed on his 1-1 cut against right-hander Peyton Miller, flying out to center field to end the game.
Together, Virginia Tech (seven) and Clemson (10) united to throw 17 pitchers on Saturday – a tie for the fourth highest combined total during an ACC game featuring the Hokies.
Eight Clemson starters tallied at least one hit while six recorded at least one RBI.
Prior to first pitch, Virginia Tech recognized the 12 members of its 2026 senior class: Josh Berzonski, Henry Cooke, Luke Craytor, Jacob Exum, Sam Gates, Clay Grady, Treyson Hughes, Owen Petrich, Brody Roe, Peyton Smith, Ben Weber and Brendan Yagesh. Seven such seniors participated in Saturday’s game.
UP NEXT
As the No. 7 seed, Virginia Tech will open its run at the 2026 ACC Baseball Championship during the tournament’s second round on Wednesday, May 20, at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hokies will play the winner of Tuesday’s first round game between the event’s No. 10 and No. 15 seeds.