Box Score

VT 8, Longwood 7

 

BLACKSBURG, Va. - An eight-run, seven-hit third inning was all the Virginia Tech Hokies needed to record an 8-7 win over visiting Longwood on Wednesday night at English Field in non-conference baseball action.

Tech scored all eight of those runs with two outs to move to 10-18 on the year, while Longwood fell to 17-11. Eight of the ten Hokies who batted recorded a hit, and one of those who didn't was Brandon Lower (Roanoke, Va.), who walked in all three of his plate appearances. Five different Hokies had two hits apiece.

Rob Waskiewicz (2-1) earned the win for Tech by pitching 4.2 innings in relief of starter Sean McDermott (Walpole, Mass.). Rhett Ballard (High Point, N.C.) finished off the ninth to record his second save, and all three pitchers combined to walk just one batter, which tied a season low.

Lance Harting (4-2) took the loss for Longwood, which jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, using an RBI double by Phil Cerreto to plate Paul Heidler, and an RBI single by Casey Havers to score Cerreto.

The Lancers added another run in the second in deceptive fashion. With Brant Jones on third and David Smiy at the plate, Scott Kimble took off from first to lure a throw from Tech catcher Anthony Sosnoskie (Front Royal, Va.). Jones left for home, and while Kimble was ultimately the third out in a brief rundown, Jones touched home before the tag was made to make it 3-0.

The Hokies took advantage of a costly Longwood error in the third to net eight runs and a five-run lead. After first baseman Sean O'Brien (Chappaqua, N.Y.) singled home second baseman Austin Wates (Richmond, Va.) to get Tech on the scoreboard, the Lancers' left fielder dropped a sure third out that turned into seven unearned runs. Right fielder Klint Reed (Chesterfield, Va.), DH Matt Blow (Richmond, Va.), left fielder Steve Bumbry (Cockeysville, Md.) and shortstop Tony Balisteri (Lexington, Va.) all collected run-scoring singles after the error, while Wates added an RBI triple, his third three-bagger of the season.

Longwood added a run in the eighth when Cerreto - who singled and moved to third on a base hit by Havers - came home to score on a double play ball to short. An RBI double by Justin Morreim and a two-run single by Cerreto in the ninth gave the Hokies a scare, but Tech reliever Rhett Ballard (High Point, N.C.) got Havers to fly out to center field to end the game at 8-7.

The Hokies will play host to Maryland this Friday through Sunday in a three-game ACC series. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, while Sunday's game will begin at 1 p.m.