Cannizzaro’s Late-Game Heroics Lift No. 11 Virginia Tech Past Charlotte, 13-11

By Jacob Sawyers

Staff Writer

March 3, 2023

BLACKSBURG — Chris Cannizzaro’s bat was hotter than a parked car on a summer day — and it continued Friday afternoon. The Bucknell transfer posted another impressive stat line in Virginia Tech’s  (4-6), which pushed his streak to 12 hits in his last 16 plate appearances. However, none were as important as his walk-off homer in the 10th inning that gave the Hokies their fourth-straight victory.

“I apologize, guys: I kind of lost my voice,” Cannizzaro told reporters shortly after his walk-off celebration. “[Carson DeMartini] told me the first one would be a fastball, so just get it out in front. That was kind of my mindset heading up to the plate.”

The Hokies (7-2) accumulated a consistent barrage of runs on a rainy Blacksburg day, recording at least a run in six of the 10 innings played. Center fielder Jack Hurley and designated hitter Garrett Michel both homered, which sparked life into the Virginia Tech dugout when it needed it the most.

Yet, this game was no walk in the park — it was a slow, wet, and methodical saunter through English Field.

Charlotte (5-5) started right-handed pitcher Wyatt Hudepohl, who relinquished nine earned runs through 3 ⅓ innings pitched. In a day filled with less-than-ideal conditions, the junior starter never got comfortable on the mound — and the Hokies took advantage. 

“I was just trying to be aggressive early,” Michel, whose three-run homer gave the Hokies their first lead of the game in the third inning, said. “I got into two-strike counts both times against [Hudepohl], so it was a matter of just shaking my swing down and putting the ball in play.”

The dreary weather didn’t just pick on the 49ers. Right-hander Griffin Green got the nod for Tech, but he quickly gave up three runs to start the ballgame. The junior pitcher was also constantly finding his footing on a slick mound, but he got the Hokies out of some early binds that kept them in the game.

The pitchers and coaches knew the weather would make it an uphill battle.

“It’s not ideal, but you just have to go out and do your job,” Tech head coach John Szefc said after the game. “It certainly wasn’t pretty at times, but it was enough.”

By the end of the fourth, Tech had crafted a commanding 10-6 lead. One of those runs was Hurley’s 446-foot moonshot — a three-run blast that never considered staying in the park. The junior outfielder, who went 3-5 on the day, took some time to admire his work while trotting the bases.

“I did,” Hurley said when asked if he knew it was a home run when the ball left his bat. “That was one of the first times where the wind was blowing toward right field, and I squared up and got all of it. You kind of just know on those.”

The fifth, sixth and seventh innings blew by with little to no offensive action, as Charlotte’s Andrew Spolyar and Tech’s Kiernan Higgins began to deal. Spolyar threw for nearly five innings, striking out seven Hokies in the process.

It was the eighth inning at English Field that gave the game new life. With two runners on first and second, Charlotte’s Cam Fisher sent a ball deep over the right field wall, tying the game at 11. Virginia Tech was unable to respond in the eighth and ninth innings, as 49ers reliever Evan Michelson only allowed one hit through the two frames.

In the top of the 10th, Tech reliever Tyler Dean provided a quick three-out inning to open the door for a VT walk-off win.

Michelson was striking maroon-and-orange batters out left and right to begin the bottom of the 10th, as the rain grew torrential. A quick infield single from second baseman Chick Martin gave Tech all the resurgence they needed.

On the first aforementioned fastball, Cannizzaro sent a deep shot into the misty clouds of Southwest Virginia, and it was just too far gone to land in Will Butcher’s outstretched glove. The drenched Hokies came out to celebrate the dramatic 13-11 finish.

It’s March. It’s non-conference. It’s cold. But the Hokie bats keep on churning, and they will look to make it five-straight wins on Saturday afternoon.