Boston College Snaps Four-Game Losing streak in Win Over No. 23 Virginia Tech

Ryan Wilkes

April 2, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Despite the frigid conditions at English Field, Boston College (13-11, 4-9) got hot early and didn’t look back, defeating No. 23 Virginia Tech (13-9, 9-7) 7-3 in the first game of the three game series on Thursday.

“We were both dealing with some tough conditions today,” said Tech third baseman Kevin Madden. “It was cold and windy… we practice in this stuff all the time so it’s nothing out of the ordinary, but it’s something we need to adjust on a little better.”

The Eagles jumped out to a six-run lead in the third inning, wasting no time getting the bats rolling. Boston College pitcher Mason Pelio anchored the Eagles’ lead, dealing with Hokie hitters with ease, keeping the lead right where it was until a Jack Hurley solo home run in the bottom of the third.

Despite the Hurley home run, Pelio never faltered, weathering the storm of the hostile crowd and the brutal conditions at English Field. The junior from San Diego dished six and two-thirds innings of three-run baseball, putting his teammates in a good position to secure the series-opening win.

Hokies’ starter Peyton Alford had an abbreviated outing after the Eagles jumped on him early, throwing only two innings and allowing six Boston College hitters to get on via walk.

“Today wasn’t a very effective day,” Alford said. “A lot of fastballs just not finding the zone, offspeed wasn’t really there, so definitely a very frustrating day.”

Ryan Okuda came into the game in the third inning facing a 5-0 deficit and gave the Hokies exactly what they needed to remain within striking distance. Okuda retired nine BC hitters via the strikeout in 6.2 innings pitched, giving up only one run.

Despite Okuda’s valiant efforts, the Hokies could not generate enough offensive firepower to get the job done. Home runs by Jack Hurley and Kevin Madden attempted to be the spark, but Tech couldn’t turn the momentum into more runs on the scoreboard.

“We kind of just scattered our hits,” Madden said. “They had a lot of their hits with guys on base and we didn’t get a lot of our hits with guys on base. I thought the plan was good, we just didn’t have a lot of guys on base when we got our hits.”

The Eagles take game one on the back of stellar pitching and timely hitting to break a four-game losing skid. The Hokies, fresh off a three-game sweep against a ranked Pittsburgh team, look to bounce back in Friday’s matchup at 3 p.m. at English Field.