A loss on Sunday would’ve been cutthroat for Virginia Tech baseball.
Not just because of the postseason and RPI implications that come with dropping a third straight ACC series, but because the Hokies committed numerous late mistakes that could’ve left a series win over Duke on the table.
Still, it came. With the bases loaded in the 10th inning, Sam Grube knocked a walk-off base hit up the middle of the infield, ending a strenuous final two innings in Tech’s favor. It was Grube’s second walk-off hit of the season after rising to the occasion against William & Mary on Feb.14.
“You try not to have them, but you can tell there’s nerves [in those moments], man,” Grube said. “That’s a big situation. A big game, a big series. So, you try to calm yourself down, but you can definitely feel the pressure.”
He overcame that to produce the game-winner, giving the Hokies (12-10, 4-5 ACC) their first ACC series win of the year, as well as their first series against Duke since 2022.
They couldn’t have done it without a commanding six innings from bullpen arms Chase Swift, Logan Eisenreich, Brody Roe and Luke Craytor, who allowed just one combined earned run while retiring 18 of the 25 batters they saw.
On the other hand, the Blue Devils (16-10, 4-5) exhausted their fresh relief arms by the fifth inning, and were forced to recycle five relievers that had already pitched in the series. The consequences of that were apparent in the game-deciding 10th inning.
Duke left-hander Aiden O’Connell — who allowed two earned runs in just 16 pitches on Saturday — sent Ethan Gibson four straight balls after the junior pounded his first pitch foul, though Owen Petrich replaced him at first following a fielder’s choice. Then Henry Cooke singled and Treyson Hughes was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
The Blue Devils turned to righty Ben Dean after that, who was less than 24 hours removed from a two-inning save. Grube went down 0-2 before taking two balls, then knocking the game-winner to what’s typically double-play territory — though Duke’s infield was drawn in with the bases full, and the ball snuck past the second baseman.
“In that spot, that’s probably who you want up there,” Szefc said of Grube, who’s hitting .364 with runners in scoring position.
“We diminished their bullpen so much, we had to be on the attack,” Tech left fielder Nick Locurto said. “We knew we had to take advantage [of Duke’s bullpen], we had to be the ones throwing punches. The offense needed to win the game today.”
Locurto said that feeling was even stronger after the Hokies’ offense committed a crucial mistake in the ninth to keep them from an earlier walk-off.
Ethan Ball laced a leadoff double into the right-center gap off O’Connell, leading to Tech taking an offensive timeout to plan its next move. Locurto executed, sending a deep fly ball into center field that should’ve resulted in Ball tagging up and taking third.
However, the freshman left the base too early, and by the time third base coach Tyler Hanson told him to return to second, it was too late. The 8-6-4 double play stood after a Tech challenge. To make matters worse, the inning — and regulation — ended with a fly ball into left field by Hudson Lutterman that would’ve scored Ball with ease.
“I thought I hit that pretty well,” Locurto said. “I was hoping that would burn the outfield or even leave the park. I don't know what happened at second, but things happen. Mistakes happen.”
Even that situation wouldn’t have been necessary if it weren’t for another error — a more literal one — in the top side. Tech entered the inning up 6-5 with Brody Roe on the mound. He got an easy first out, and should’ve had a second one, but shortstop Pete Daniel’s throwing error put Tyler Albright on first as the game-tying run. He came around with RJ Hamilton’s sacrifice fly and Kaden Smith’s two-out single, extending the game.
“It was frustrating. There were so many opportunities where we could’ve put the game away,” Locurto said.
But Locurto was generally encouraged by what the Hokies put on the field Sunday. His two-out, two-RBI base hit tied the game at two in the third, and helped detach Duke starter Andy Leon from what was an effective start to that point.
The Blue Devils punched back in the next inning with their third, fourth and final runs off Hokies starter Griffin Stieg — who finished with four earned runs in as many innings — but Tech did the same off Leon.
Sam Gates whipped a solo homer off the righty’s second pitch of the inning before Hughes walked and stole second. Duke reliever Grayson Walker was on the bump when Grube drove Hughes in with a full-count single, but the run was credited to Leon.
The Hokies found their first lead in the fifth inning on Lutterman’s RBI single, plating Ball, then extended it to 6-4 when Ball scraped his first ACC home run over the left-field wall in the seventh.
Blue Devils right fielder Jeff Lougee hit an RBI double off Eisenreich in the eighth before Smith tied it in the ninth. As hectic and sloppy as that inning was, the Hokies emerged victorious in extras.
“We knew that we weren’t gonna lose,” Locurto said. “We were throwing punches. We knew that we were just better than them, and that we were going to eventually figure it out. It was ultimately that we were very frustrated at the time [because of the mistakes], but then we all came together and we trusted each other. We knew that we’re going to find a way to win.”
Though Daniel (0-for-3, walk) struggled in the two-spot, the Hokies’ one-through-six batters — Grube (3-for-5), Ball (2-for-4, walk), Locurto (1-for-4, walk) and Gates (homered) — combined for all their seven RBI on Sunday.
Craytor secured the decision for his third win of the season while Swift allowed one baserunner between the fifth and sixth innings. Stieg’s start was mostly productive outside of allowing solo homers to Smith and Jake Lambdin the first and second innings, respectively.
With its first conference set under its belt, Tech turns to a midweek matchup at ETSU on Tuesday before hosting Stanford next weekend. The Hokies beat the Buccaneers (16-6, 2-1 SoCon) by two, 7-5, in the fourth game of the season, while the Cardinal (8-12, 1-5 ACC) is currently second-to-last in the league.
“I feel like we’re in a really good spot to get going,” Grube said. “Stanford and Miami are next, two teams that are towards the bottom of the league right now. We’ve got to really step on the gas and get some wins here.”
Box Score: Virginia Tech 7, Duke 6 (10 innings)
2 Comments