Back-to-back homers lift No. 8 Virginia Tech over BC
Gavin Cross and Tanner Schobel went deep for the Hokies in the seventh inning.
In the fifth inning of a scoreless ballgame and with two runners on base, Boston College right fielder Cameron Leary took the first pitch he saw from Virginia Tech starter Griffin Green and sent it deep to right field.
It hung up in the air, though, and landed in the glove of Hokies’ right fielder Nick Biddison at the wall in right.
Leary was just short of a three-run homer—one that would’ve broken open a pitchers duel and given Eagles’ starter Joe Mancini a well-deserved lead.
Instead, in the top of the seventh inning, just a frame after the Hokies broke up Mancini’s no-hit bid, Gavin Cross and Tanner Schobel hit back-to-back homers as Virginia Tech handed BC a difficult 2-0 loss.
The Eagles (15-23, 3-16 Atlantic Coast) outhit the Hokies (26-9, 10-7), 7-5, but left nine runners on base and hit into two double plays. They haven’t scored in their last 22 innings, a span dating back to the fifth inning of the series finale against North Carolina State, and Mancini’s brilliant outing was squandered.
“Joey [Mancini] was awesome,” head coach Mike Gambino said. “I think he made like four or five mistakes all night and two got hit out. [Griffin] Green threw it great too—we had some chances and they turned a couple of double plays in big spots. It was a great ballgame, all in all.”
Green pitched into the seventh, working around seven hits, two walks, and a hit batsmen. The Chelmsford, Mass., native pitched in front of a friendly crowd of friends and family and showcased plenty of emotion as he navigated through trouble.
Green yielded to Graham Firoved in the seventh with two on and two out, and he struck out Leary to end the threat. Firoved threw a 1-2-3 eighth inning, then worked around a walk in the ninth to earn his first save of the year.
Virginia Tech escaped with the win despite being held to a season-low in runs and hits (5). Mancini was dialed in early, getting a double play in the first inning to kickstart a run of 14 straight retired. Hokies’ nine-hole hitter Carson DeMartini broke up the no-hitter with a one-out single in the sixth, but he was thrown out trying to steal second and Mancini struck out Biddsion to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, Cross took a 2-1 pitch and clobbered it over the scoreboard in right field. Two pitches later, Schobel was rounding the bases after launching one to the hill in left field. The Hokies now have 79 homers in 35 games. Virginia Tech had been just 1-8 when scoring fewer than three runs, but the pair of long balls were enough.
BC had its chances throughout. Green got Parker Landwehr swinging to strand runners on the corners in the first, then a promising two-on, one-out situation in the third was erased when Luke Gold grounded into a double play. In the fourth, a leadoff single from Joe Vetrano was quickly erased when Landwehr grounded into another double play.
Leary’s long flyout was followed by a pop-out to strand runners on the corners in the fifth, and the Eagles left two more in the seventh. A walk of Patrick Roche brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Firoved struck out Sam McNulty looking and got Barry Walsh swinging.
In total, BC went just 3-for-17 with runners on base and 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. After avoiding being shutout for the first 36 games of the season, the Eagles have been blanked in back-to-back games. They’ve now lost five straight and sit 13 games under .500 in conference play.
They’ll look to bounce back with Henry Leake on the mound this evening at Fenway Park. The Hokies counter with Drue Hackenberg, a true freshman enjoying a breakout campaign. First pitch is at 6 p.m. on the ACC Network.
Featured Image Courtesy of Virginia Tech Athletics