Collegiate Times

Tech catcher Steve Domecus slides into home plate during the Hokies' 11-8 win over Rider on Mar. 16.

The Virginia Tech baseball team once again defied the odds this past weekend and won a series in Atlanta against the then-No. 4 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Prior to the Hokies’ visit, the Yellow Jackets (34-7, 16-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) had lost only a single home game out of 22 all season.

Tech (28-14, 11-10 ACC) picked up its first victory of the weekend in an 11-inning pitcher’s duel between Hokies’ junior Justin Wright and Jackets’ future first-round draft pick Deck McGuire.

Both pitchers allowed one run, with Wright pitching eight innings and McGuire seven. Senior Tech reliever Ben Rowen did not allow a run in three innings of relief, allowing sophomore first baseman Ronnie Shaban to hit the go-ahead single in the top of the 11th inning. A sacrifice fly in the same inning by redshirt junior shortstop Tim Smalling produced a final score of 3-1.

On Saturday, the Hokies jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead before a rain delay washed the game out in the bottom of the fourth. Tech sophomore starter Mathew Price returned to pitch the next day and finished with eight strikeouts, two earned runs, six hits, seven innings pitched and a win.

Freshman lefty Joe Mantiply finished the game for Tech, and the Hokies coasted to a 10-3 win.

The bottom of the lineup came through for the Hokies in key situations in the second game of the series. Junior Tony Balisteri, hitting out of the No. 9 slot, picked up three RBIs, and No. 7 hitter Michael Seaborn got two of his own in the seven-hole. Designated hitter Matt Blow also knocked in a run from the eighth position.

With the series already locked up after two games, the Hokies appeared to be on their way to a sweep, but junior starter Jesse Hahn was unable to pitch due to arm trouble. Junior Manny Martir started in his place, but the Hokies used
five different pitchers to complete the game.

The Jackets knocked around Tech’s bullpen and took a 3-13 lead going into the top of the eighth after putting together a sixth-run seventh, but the Hokies simply would not quit. Tech answered with seven of its own runs in the eighth and the Jackets responded with a single run in the bottom of the inning.

Down 10-14 in the final frame, the Tech bats put two more on the board, but redshirt senior Sean Ryan flied out to end the game with two runners left on base.

With the series win, the Hokies moved up to No. 18 in the Baseball America Top 25, while the Jackets fell to No. 8. The series win over Georgia Tech marks the third of the month for the Hokies.

Tech also defeated No. 4 Florida State in Tallahassee and No. 16 Miami at home, and it only dropped a series to No. 1 Virginia in Charlottesville but avoided the sweep.

The Hokies will complete their eight-game road stint with a contest against the Virginia Military Institute (29-12, 10-8 Big South) on Tuesday night before returning home this weekend for a series against Boston College (23-17, 12-9 ACC). Tech defeated VMI 11-2 at home on March 30.

A version of this article appeared in the Apr 27 issue of the Collegiate Times.