RADFORD — Virginia Tech baseball’s 13-5 victory over Radford was crucial coming off losses in three of its last four games, but it seemed to serve a greater purpose.
The Hokies’ dugout — the visiting one at Williams Field — was more spirited than it’s been all year, which showed at the plate. Tech (14-13) managed six hits in the first two-and-a-half innings to take an 8-0 lead that the Highlanders (12-13) never shook. Three of those knocks were home runs by Ethan Gibson, Treyson Hughes and Nick Locurto, who homered twice on Tuesday.
“That was the best energy we’ve had in the dugout in my eight years by far,” Hokies head coach John Szefc said. “That was the biggest bright spot of the night, because you’re coming off of a tough weekend and it could have been exactly the opposite … so I give those guys a lot of credit. I had nothing to do with that — it was all the players.”
Tech’s dugout spilled onto the field to mob every runner that crossed home plate, which in the first inning included Pete Daniel (on a wild pitch) and Ethan Ball (via Cooke sacrifice fly). Gibson and Hughes homered in the second inning, leaving Highlanders starter Parker Noonan with rowdy celebrations before he was pulled for fellow righty Eli Baker.
Baker surrendered Ball’s second hit, a double, which came around with a Cooke double that he slammed to the wall. Locurto cracked his first homer just after, plating two more runs to make it 8-0.
The Hokies’ energy had manifested at the plate — and inches separated them from three more early bombs as Sam Grube, Sam Gates and Cooke flied out to the warning track in early at-bats. The only question was where that energy came from.
“Can’t reveal too many secrets,” Locurto said. “But we just knew we needed to bring the energy. There’s only so much time left. There’s a lot of baseball left, but once it's over, it’s over — and this team is so close and we love each other. We just want to [handle things] the way we want to, so today we brought the energy, and we hope to do it for the rest of the year.”
Before the game, Hokies associate head coach Kurt Elbin said the team’s tough start to the season — including a draining 0-3 weekend in Arlington, Texas, and a 5-7 start to ACC play — caused the players to “press and beat themselves up.”
But it seemed like Tech had enough of quiet dugouts and depressive bus rides back to Blacksburg. That was especially important against a Radford group that has split the season series in two of the last three years.
“I told the guys before we left, this is one of the two hardest places on our schedule to play,” Szefc said. “And it wasn’t that way tonight.”
Hokies starter Aiden Robertson ended the first two innings in just six combined batters, though he surrendered a pair of two-out RBI hits to third baseman Junho Son and shortstop Hunter Keen to give Radford two runs back. Robertson’s next two pitches hit batters to load the bases, ending his start with three earned runs and four hits allowed in 2 ⅔ innings.
Jacob Exum relieved him and plunked a third straight batter to walk in a run, but a subsequent strikeout ended the inning with the Hokies ahead 8-3.
Their offense cooled off until the fifth inning, when Locurto hit a leadoff home run — his second of the game to left field — followed by a full-count base hit from Gates and a walk by Gates and Gibson. A steal by each and two passed balls ushered Gates home, and Gibson later came around off a Hughes sacrifice bunt.
Locurto’s walk-in score in the seventh and Gates’ RBI ground out in the eighth inning made it 13-3, which seemed to end the game in run-rule fashion after freshman arm Tyler Stone stranded the bases loaded to close the frame.
However, Szefc and Radford head coach Alex Guerra miscommunicated as to whether they would utilize the run rule. Szefc’s team formed a handshake line while Guerras took to their defensive positions. After a brief discussion, home plate umpire Lindy Hall took Guerra’s side, bringing on the ninth inning.
“I thought we had agreed to play the 10-run rule because we’ve played that every game,” Szefc said. “That’s what I thought was the agreement, but apparently it wasn’t. We played it every game this year, except the first game of the season. It’s a rule in the ACC, but apparently it’s not in the Big [South]. Maybe I should’ve listened closer.”
Tech’s relief staff — Exum, Brody Roe, Danny Lazaro and Stone — allowed just one hit through the eighth inning but dipped in the ninth. Stone and fellow freshman Jake Wise combined to allow a single and three walks, including one to former Tech infielder Carrington Aaron, forcing in a run.
With one out, Logan Eisenreich entered to settle things and, after walking in one more run for the 13-5 final score, he did.
The game ultimately stretched to nearly four hours, but the Hokies looked far from fatigued. Their win against Radford wasn’t perfect — they hit 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position — and it may not mean much for their postseason resume, but the team seems rejuvenated heading into crucial road trips to Miami and Boston College.
Tech’s series in Coral Gables, Fla., begins Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
“The challenge now is to maintain that energy because it intimidates other people,” Szefc said. “It really does, especially when you go out there and you swing the bat and pitch well with it.”
Box Score: Virginia Tech 13, Radford 5