Box Score

VT 7, WF 3

 

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Redshirt junior Rhett Ballard (High Point, N.C.) tossed Virginia Tech's first complete game in just his second start of the season to lead the Hokies past Wake Forest 7-3 on Friday afternoon at Hooks Stadium.

After making his first start last Friday in the win over Maryland, the 6-foot-5 submariner went the distance for the first time of his career and also struck out a career-best and Tech season-high nine Demon Deacons. He scattered eight hits and two walks to improve to 2-3 on the year and bumped the Hokies to 14-20 overall and 2-14 in the ACC.

Garrett Bullock (3-3) took the loss for Wake Forest (12-20, 5-10 ACC) after allowing five runs on 11 hits and striking out six.

Ballard's 132-pitch effort helped Tech overcome four errors in the field, as did some impressive performances at the dish by the Hokie offense. Catcher Anthony Sosnoskie (Front Royal, Va.) tied a career best with four RBI on a double and his team-leading fifth home run, while center fielder Sean Ryan (Ashburn, Va.) set a career high with four hits - all singles. Freshman shortstop Austin Wates (Richmond, Va.) tallied two doubles and a single for his sixth three-hit game of the season. The Hokies tied a season best with six doubles.

Second baseman Dustin Hood paced the Deacons with two hits, while catcher Mike Murray and pinch hitter Weldon Woodall each recorded home runs.

Tech broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fifth with five runs on five hits. First baseman Sean O'Brien (Chappaqua, N.Y.) got things started when he sent a two-out seeing-eye single up the middle to score Michael Seaborn, who had doubled, and move Tony Balisteri to second. Ryan then poked one through the left side to bring Balisteri around from second for the frame's second run. Sosnoskie followed with his home run, clearing the bases when he demolished a 2-1 offering over the tree-lined left-field wall to make it 5-0 in the Hokies' favor.

Murray got to Ballard briefly in the sixth with a two-run homer that also scored Willy Fox, but the the Hokies added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth thanks to RBI doubles from both Sosnoskie and right fielder Klint Reed.

Woodall added a pinch-hit solo home run in the bottom of the ninth for the Deacons to set the final tally.

The Hokies and Deacons are scheduled to play game two of the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. The contest will be televised by RSN (Comcast SportsNet, FOX Sports Net South, FOX Sports Florida & New England Sports Network).