February 26, 2006

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Senior left-hander Ryan Kennedy pitched seven strong innings as Virginia Tech posted a 5-1 baseball victory over East Carolina University in the Keith LeClair Classic at ECU's Carter-LeClair Stadium on Sunday.

Kennedy (Punta Gorda, Fla.) pitched seven full innings, allowing just one run on six hits. He struck out four batters and walked one on the way to his first decision of the season. All 21 outs during Kennedy's stint came in the infield, including 15 ground outs, one infield pop out, one infield foul out and four strikeouts. Overall, Tech had just one putout in the outfield during the game.

Junior Adam Redd (Dumfries, Va.) pitched a scoreless eighth inning for Tech, with a walk and a strikeout. Senior Nicky Bowers (Stuart, Va.) pitched the ninth, allowing a pair of singles before registering the final out himself.

Tech (3-2) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning when first baseman Sean O'Brien (Chippaqua, N.Y.) singled with one out and scored on a two-out home run by right fielder Jose Cueto (Miami, Fla.). It was Cueto's second homer of the tournament.

The Hokies made the score 3-0 in the sixth inning. Left-fielder Sheldon Adams (Big Stone Gap, Va.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the stanza. Adams was sacrificed to second, took third on a single by O'Brien and came home on a single by designated hitter Billy Marn (Virginia Beach, Va.).

East Carolina (7-3) got on the board against Kennedy in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with one out and scoring a run as third baseman Stephen Batts reached on a fielder's choice.

Tech picked up two big runs in the ninth. Cueto started the inning with a single, moved to third on a one-out single by second baseman Matt Hacker (Richmond, Va.) and scored on a squeeze bunt by shortstop Warren Schaeffer (Vandergrift, Pa.). Hacker scored the final run on a two-out ECU fielding error.

Shane Mathews (0-1) opened on the mound for the Pirates and took the loss. The Pirates finished with a total of eight hits, led by Batts with two.

Cueto finished with two hits for the Hokies. O'Brien also had two hits for Tech, while center fielder Nate Parks (Roanoke, Va.) had two hits and three stolen bases.

Tech is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday with a game at Charlotte.