Hokies snap skid against GT

Friday night vs. Georgia Tech | Yellow Jackets 7 – Hokies 6 (11 innings)

WP: Dusty Issacs (6-5) 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO
LP: Aaron McGarity (0-4) 1.1 IP 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

There is no greater home run threat on Virginia Tech’s roster than the 6-foot-6, left hand hitting Brendon Hayden. His home run in the top of the 9th inning on Friday night to give the Hokies a one-run lead was his seventh of the year and the team’s 11th.

But the Yellow Jackets fought back in the home half of the 9th and tied it up with a two-out single up the middle off the bat of Thomas Smith.

After a scoreless 10th frame, the Yellow Jackets walked-off against the Hokies in the bottom of the 11th, again singling, this time with one out and runners on the corners. The 7-6 defeat marks the seventh time in nine ACC series that Virginia Tech dropped the Friday night series opener by a single run.

The Hokies found themselves in a hole early. After Sean Keselica retired the first two batters in the fourth inning in what was still a scoreless game, Ricky Surum made an error with two-outs and the bases empty. Instead of the inning ending, the Yellow Jackets pieced together back-to-back hits, the first of which was a double, to take an early 2-0 lead.

An Alex Perez RBI single scored Saige Jenco, who doubled to lead off the inning in the fifth, but the Hokies’ deficit grew again in the bottom of the inning. A one-out sacrifice fly with the bases loaded and then a two-out single plated two Yellow Jackets and made it 4-1 Georgia Tech.

The Hokies wouldn’t go away softly, though. They tied it up in the top of the 6th inning and then again in the 7th after surrendering the lead once more.

In the 9th, Hayden gave the Hokies their first lead of the ballgame, but once more, the Hokies were unable to hold on to a late lead.

Saturday vs. Georgia Tech | Yellow Jackets 3 – Hokies 1

WP: Devin Stanton (4-3) 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
LP: Brad Markey (2-7) 8 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
S: Sam Clay (5) 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

With two outs and runners on the corners, Miguel Ceballos stole home to give the Hokies a one-run lead in the top of the third inning, but that would be the beginning and the end of Tech’s scoring in their 3-1 loss on Saturday.

Ceballos broke from third and scored on an attempted pick off at first base. He was 1-for-4 on the day as the Hokies’ losing streak extended to 10-games, just two shy of the school record set in 2008.

Georgia Tech plated single runs in the 4th, 6th and 8th innings, all earned and all of off Brad Markey, whose record drops to 2-7 in what is his senior campaign.

A solo shot off the bat of A.J. Murray in the 4th started the Yellow Jackets scoring, and an RBI single by Connor Justus with two outs in the sixth plated what proved to be the winning run.

After starting the year 2-1, Markey has lost his last six decisions and hasn’t earned a win since February 28.  Markey has a 3.26 ERA on the season, but he’s not getting the run support needed to show up in the win column.

Sunday vs. Georgia Tech | Hokies 7 – Yellow Jackets 6

WP: Kit Scheetz (4-1) 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO
LP: Ben Parr (4-2) 6 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO
S: Tanner McIntrye (2) .2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Despite the Hokies holding a three-run lead after seven innings on Sunday, it seemed as if Georgia Tech was going to fight back and extend the Hokies losing streak to 11. After all, the Hokies have had a tough time holding late leads this season.

The Yellow Jackets were able to muster a run in the eighth and another in the ninth, but a two-out, shut-the-door job by Tanner McIntyre preserved Virginia Tech’s lead by the slimmest of margins and earned a 7-6 victory.

With one out and runners on first and second base, McIntyre dealt a 3-2 fastball to Grant Wruble, the only batter the righty senior faced all afternoon. The pitch was a called strike three and then Zagunis fired to third base to catch Connor Justus trying to swipe the bag. The strike-him-out, throw-him-out ended a game in the Hokies favor for the first time since April 14 at Liberty.

The Hokies never trailed on Sunday afternoon. Brendon Hayden got the Hokies on the board with a RBI single in the first and then Logan Bible, who is hitting a ridiculous .432 in 37 at bats this season, cleared the bases with a three-RBI double with two outs.

In the 6th inning with the score at 4-2, Phil Sciretta singled on a 2-2 pitch to bring home Mark Zagunis. Zagunis was 3-for-5 at the plate on Sunday, including a two-RBI single in the 7th to make it 7-4 Hokies.

Georgia Tech never fell too far out of reach, though. Down 7-4 they scored a single run in the 8th and the 9th, but McIntyre’s relief job in the bottom of the 9th kept the Jackets one-run short.

Despite the victory, the Hokies have lost too many ACC games to make a run at the tournament. With only three ACC contests left, VT’s 8-19 conference record is 13th out of 14th. A full list of ACC standings can be found below.

Atlantic Division

1: FSU, 17-7, 36-11
2: Clemson, 12-11, 28-19
3: Wake Forest, 12-12, 26-22
4: Maryland, 12-14, 28-19
5: NC State, 9-15, 27-19
6: Boston College, 9-18, 20-29
7: Notre Dame, 4-20, 17-30

Coastal Division

1: Miami, 19-5, 34-14
2: UVA, 18-6, 37-9
3: Duke, 15-9, 29-18
4: UNC, 13-11, 27-19
5: Georgia Tech, 14-13, 28-20
6: Pitt, 11-13, 21-24
7: Virginia Tech, 8-19, 19-27-1