The Virginia Tech baseball team defeated Bucknell 16-7 in a game that lasted over five hours thanks to weather delays. Bucknell is now eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. The Hokies will face the loser of tonight’s South Carolina-Citadel game in an elimination game on Sunday.
Matthew Price got the start for the Hokies, but due to a long weather delay that began in the second inning, he only faced five batters in 1+ innings of work. He did not allow any runs, and the Hokies were able to jump out to a big 11-0 lead and then coast to the easy win.
Left fielder Buddy Sosnoskie had a huge day, going 3-for-5 with two homers and six RBI’s. First baseman Ronnie Shaban was 3-for-5 with four RBI’s, while Tim Smalling was also 3-for-5 with two RBI’s. Right fielder Austin Wates was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two walks, so the Hokies got excellent production from the 4-5-6-7 hitters.
After the contest resumed, Pete Hughes used Manny Martir, Jake Joyce and Brandon Fisher to finish up the game. All were roughed up to a certain extent, but by using these three players on Saturday, Hughes was able to save the top pitchers from his bullpen for Sunday’s critical contest.
South Carolina beat The Citadel Saturday, so Tech will next play against The Citadel Sunday at 2 PM. The loser will be eliminated, and the winner will have to play South Carolina Sunday night at 7 PM. If another game is necessary, it will be played Monday at 7 PM.
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