blacksburg – Led by a 5th year outfielder. ben watson’s The Virginia Tech baseball team decisively defeated Ohio State in two seven-inning ballgames (both shortened due to the run rule) in a five-hit doubleheader Saturday at Atlantic Union Bank’s English Field. , won by scores of 14-1 and 14-2. park.
Watson went 5-for-7 on the day, recording an RBI triple in the opening game and adding a double and an RBI single in the second game. Tech’s most consistent hitter came in having improved his season batting average by 12 points to .420 (74 hits, 44 games). carson dimartini (8 to 4), Gehrig Ebell (6 to 4), eddie iceert (5 to 3) and clay grady (3-for-6) among the Hokies quintet with three or more hits in Saturday’s doubleheader.
With the win, Virginia Tech (30-14) surpassed the 30-win milestone for the third straight season under its head coach. john zefuk Tech’s last accomplishment as a program occurred between 2011 and 2013. Saturday’s win was celebrated at the same time as Friday’s league-wide ACC results, with the Hokies officially qualifying for a fourth consecutive ACC Baseball Championship, extending a program record.
GAME ONE – Virginia Tech 14, Ohio State 1 (7 in)
In Saturday’s opener, Virginia Tech (29-14) defeated Ohio University (14-26) in three big innings. The Hokies added five runs in the second inning, six runs in the fourth, and three runs in the sixth, taking a 14-0 advantage into the seventh inning.
Technology industry leadoff trio christian martin, carson dimartini and ben watson Bottom 3 starters get 6 RBIs – henry cook, eddie iceert and Gehrig Ebell – each finished with a multiple RBI game.
On the mound, Brett Renfroe He pitched five scoreless innings, allowing three hits (all singles), striking out seven batters, and giving up two walks. Matthew Shiverling Renfroe earned his sixth win of the season with three strikeouts in two relief innings, allowing four hits and one run.
Virginia Tech made a run during the second inning after each of its four leadoff men reached base. eddie micheletti jr. A four-pitch walk started Tech’s offensive rhythm, and soon Cook’s RBI single to center field gave them the first run of the game.
Isert had his first extra-base hit of the season, hitting an RBI double into the deep end of the yard and continuing to disrupt the offense. After scoring the third run on Ebel’s RBI grounder, the Hokies received two clutch hits from DeMartini and Watson to score on a clutch two-out, and Watson hit an RBI triple down the right field line for his third three-bagger of the tournament. . season.
Ebel signaled the beginning of the end for Ohio State starting pitcher Dillon Masters in the bottom of the fourth inning, smashing his first pitch over the left-field wall to put Tech in the lead, 6-0. With the Masters soon to be eliminated, the Hokies waited on the erratic command of reliever Tim Knapschafer, who hit three Hokies with a plank (two runs allowed), walked and gave up a run, and both Micheletti and Ebel. He allowed an RBI hit.
David McCann’s A leadoff double in the bottom of the sixth inning opened up more scoring opportunities for Tech, which easily took a 14-0 lead. DeMartini gave the Hokies one last big swing, hitting a two-RBI triple down the right field line, scoring Isert and Martin.
Ohio State’s AJ Roush went 2-for-3 and scored the Bobcats’ only run of the game in the seventh inning after back-to-back singles by him, Caleb Carle and Cole Williams.
Game 2 – Virginia Tech 14, Ohio State 2 (in 7)
Relying on its offensive prowess, Virginia Tech (30-14) started the second game by bringing in each of its five leadoff men in the bottom of the first inning. ben watson and eddie micheletti jr. Both players found openings in the Bobcats’ right-side defense, with Watson hitting Martin with an RBI single and Micheletti hitting the same spot with a double-RBI home run, resulting in two runs.
Tech continued to slug it in the bottom of the second inning. christian martin He took a 2-0 pitch from Hudson Boncal over the first baseman and down the line for a one-out triple.rear carson dimartini’s He easily sent Martin in from third base with an RBI single, but Chris Cannizzaro He hit a monster two-run home run into the left field seats to give the Hokies a 6-0 lead through two innings.
Ohio State (14-27) drove in in the top of the third inning when the Bobcats had their best success against Tech’s left-handed starter. Jeremy Neff. With two on board, Gideon Antle hit a two-RBI double down the right field line to bring the visiting team within 6-2.
Neff responded and retired the next seven batters by the end of five and one-third innings (the longest game any Richmond transfer played in a Virginia Tech uniform). Gehrig Ebell’s A three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning (the second of Saturday’s doubleheader) struck out three batters and was enough insurance for Neff, who allowed six hits and two runs.
Despite receiving a lot of offensive support from the starting lineup, Virginia Tech did not score a hit and scored the final five points of the day. The Hokies matched their 13 hits in Game 1 in Game 2, and overwhelmed the Bobcats with five extra-base hits (10 hits in total).
J.R. Nelson went 3-for-4 from leadoff for Ohio State, followed by Alex Finney and Antle with 2-for-3 hits. This trio accounted for all seven of his hits for the Bobcats.
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Virginia Tech will look for a shutout against Ohio State on Sunday, May 5th at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. (previously 1 p.m.).
