The same day that the Hokies won their season opener 19-0, they left English Field with their heads hung low. That’s the reality of the dreaded doubleheader.
Virginia Tech’s (1-1) commanding Game 1 win over Bucknell (1-1) featured shutdown pitching and unstoppable batting. Game 2 — an 8-6 loss — was its antithesis, defined by sporadic offense and pitching that resembled last year’s struggles on the mound.
“It’s a tough, tough way to end that day,” Hokies head coach John Szefc said. “Unfortunately, that’s the way the game is. It starts on such a good note, it can end on a pretty bad note. And that’s kind of what you’re looking at. …
“[A doubleheader is] tougher. But I mean, it’s just as tough for [Bucknell]. They drove five, six hours to get here yesterday. It should be tougher on them.”
And it appeared that way across Friday’s lopsided first leg. It was the biggest shutout victory for Tech since joining the ACC in 2004 — an overwhelmingly positive sign for a team that had endless question marks entering the season.
Pitching concerns? Brett Renfrow was as advertised, allowing a single hit and striking out six in four innings. Freshman Jake Marciano was arguably better in relief, matching Renfrow’s strikeouts and hits allowed in three frames, without the trio of walks that Tech’s ace threw.
“He’s good, man,” Szefc said of Marciano. “He feels a ton. He throws a ton of strikes. He comes right at hitters. That’s who he’s been [in practice]. And I think as long as he continues to hunt hitters and attack guys and get ahead, he’ll have a lot of success.”
Redshirt junior Luke Jackman and freshman Chase Swift closed out a disheartened Bison squad, allowing two hits in as many innings.
Concerns about widespread offensive production? Twelve Hokies recorded a hit — Szefc emptied the bench once the lead got out of hand — and six had multiple. Seven players making their Tech debuts had at least one hit, including left fielder Treyson Hughes (a home run and three RBI), second baseman Jared Davis (2-for-4 with four RBI) and third baseman David Lewis (2-for-3 with three runs).
The future? Sophomore Nick Locurto and freshmen Mycah Jordan and Ryder Kirtley combined for 3-of-4 batting with three hits and five RBI.
But Game 2 of the doubleheader shoved those questions right back into the Hokies’ faces.
For a team looking to solidify its weekend rotation, the first five innings were a nightmare scenario. Graduate student Grant Manning started, allowing four hits and as many earned runs before his removal in the second inning. Madden Clement — Tech’s frontrunner for second ace — relieved him flawlessly, allowing one hit and striking out five batters across 3 1/3 innings.
But his run didn’t end with the cheers of the English Field crowd. He heard sympathetic applause as he left the field, clenching his elbow and wearing a devastated countenance typical of a pitcher fearing the infamous torn UCL. The injury came out of nowhere after a two-out, 3-1 pitch to Bucknell’s Chris Morabito in the fifth inning.
Szefc said a definitive evaluation will come later this week, but these scenarios rarely end well for pitchers.
“I just immediately prayed, having gone through the same thing,” said Tech first baseman Garrett Michel, who suffered a season-ending wrist injury last season. “We don't have any results, but no pitcher who points to their elbows is ever a good sign. … Whatever happens, happens. We’ll be there by his side all the way through.”
Michel was the only Tech starter without a hit in the first game, but he was one of two players with multiple in Game 2 that saw the home side have just one multi-hit inning.
The other was catcher/DH David McCann, whose third-inning home run — along with Sam Tackett’s three-run homer in the second frame — tied the game at four. The Bison scored the next inning, but Treyson Hughes doubled in the following side to even the score at five.
Andrew Sentlinger finished off Clement’s three-and-out fifth frame, then McCann reached home off a throwing error at the inning’s bottom half to put the Hokies up 6-5.
Sentlinger retired Bucknell in order in the sixth inning but faltered in the seventh. He issued consecutive one-out walks and then two more balls before Szefc ended his night. He was credited with the loss after three earned runs and as many walks.
Righty Preston Crowl threw a pair of balls to complete Sentlinger’s walk, then Morabito ripped a triple to sharp right field to clear the bases. It was an 8-6 deficit, and Tech’s two hits across the remainder of the game failed to distinguish it.
“They pitched a lot better [in Game 2],” Szefc said. “We walked six guys in the second game. In the inning that we blew the lead, we walked the bases loaded. Anytime you start walking people like that and giving up free bases, it’s bound to come back and sting, and that’s exactly what happened to us. Our defense was really poor in the second game. We gave them probably five of their eight runs unearned. You can’t do that.”
After starting Friday’s series on a high note, the Hokies dropped a shocker to a Bucknell team that went 22-24 last season and 12-13 in Patriot League play. The rubber match is set for Sunday, Feb. 16, at 1 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
“I think the mentality is, with Bucknell, we can't hold them lightly after the first game and then the second didn’t go our way,” Marciano said. “I just think that our pitchers and everyone are going to be completely fine.”
Box Score: Virginia Tech 19, Bucknell 0
Box Score: Bucknell 8, Virginia Tech 6