The Shadow
BLACKSBURG – Hammering four home runs for the second straight game on Sunday, the Virginia Tech baseball team slugged its way back into the win column, salvaging a two-game split against UNCG courtesy of its 11-9 triumph at English Field.
Sam Grube, Pete Daniel and Willie Hurt each mashed three hits apiece to power the Hokies, who chalked their 11th win within their last 15 games. Grube’s 3-for-4 day was highlighted by a double and two home runs that netted three RBIs while Hurt carved out three parts of the cycle from his opening three at-bats, setting a rookie season high with four RBIs.
Virginia Tech (27-22) broke out with big innings early, plating four runs during the second inning to lead, 4-1, then answering the Spartans’ game-tying rally with five more runs scored during the third inning. Despite staking the 9-4 lead, the Hokies conceded two runs back to UNCG (21-29) during the top of the fourth inning – one off a solo home run by Brantley Truitt, whose two-run homer during the sixth inning brought the Spartans ever closer at 9-8.
With UNCG encroaching on Virginia Tech’s lead, Grube asserted the Hokies’ control of the game during the bottom of the sixth inning. Stepping in with two outs, Grube worked a 3-1 count against right-hander Cannon Lee before teeing off on a two-run shot to straightaway center field (estimated at 418 feet), reinstating the home team’s three-run advantage at 11-8.
