Virginia Tech vs Duke Baseball Recap

(15) Virginia Tech 11, Duke 3

After a few weeks of uncertainty, Virginia Tech fans can now say confidently that they will be headed to the ACC tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Duke, on the other hand, can now say that its campaign will end at the conclusion of the regular season next weekend.

For the Hokies, this game went as planned. Justin Wright’s pitching kept the Duke lineup off balance all night as the junior pitched a strong 7 2/3 innings while giving up just three earned runs. 

Duke struggled mightily in this contest, notching just four hits until a three-run eighth inning finally replaced that noticeable goose egg on the scoreboard.  Blue Devil starter Marcus Stroman entered the game with a strong 6-2 record but even he had to scrap his way through his 6 1/3 innings of uneven work. 

The Hokies jumped out to an early lead, which they often do, as Austin Wates drove in Steve Domecus from second base in the bottom of the first.  Tech added another run in the bottom of the third when Domecus singled to right, scoring Sean Ryan from third. 

The fourth, fifth, and sixth innings turned the game into a pitcher’s duel.  Stroman battled back and only allowed one hit throughout these middle three innings while striking out two. 

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However, the Hokies' offense eventually prevailed in this contest as Tech jumped on a tiring Stroman and scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh. Ryan recorded his first RBI of the night on a single scoring Matt Blow from third.  Next, Buddy Sosnoskie drove a liner past the outstretched glove of Duke second baseman Dennis O’Grady, which allowed both Ryan and Brent Zimmerman to score.  Sosnoskie advanced to third on a Domecus single, then scored on a wild pitch.  Finally, Wates picked up his second RBI of the night when he drove in Domecus, giving Tech a 7-0 lead.

Duke was able to counter with a three-run eighth inning, as shortstop Jake Lemmerman jacked a three-run home run off Wright. But, the lead proved to be insurmountable for the Blue Devils, who never mounted a credible threat.

The Hokies added four more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to give them a dominating eight-run advantage. With the win all but wrapped up, Tech coach Pete Hughes decided to give some work to closer Ben Rowan, who shut down the Devils in the final inning, locking up a very important ACC win for Virginia Tech.

By: Justin Clark
ACC Fans Guest Writer