Flames spoil Virginia Tech’s Tuesday night by in surprising 7-3 win

By Nathan Andrews

Staff Writer

April 12, 2023

BLACKSBURG — Liberty (15-17, 6-6 C-USA) got the best of Virginia Tech (18-12, 5-9 ACC) for the fifth time in their last eight meetings, topping the Hokies by four runs on Tuesday night.

The Flames’ scoring got started quickly, as they put up a three-spot in the first frame of the game. Tech lefty starting pitcher, Grant Umberger, was pinged for two walks and a single to start the inning.

A sacrifice fly brought home the first runner of the night; however, the real damage came in the following at-bat. Liberty catcher Three Hillier laced a double down the right field line to bring home the next two runners. Coming out of the top of the first inning, Virginia Tech was already down three runs. 

The Hokies didn’t stay silent for long, though. After Liberty starting pitcher Trey Cooper hit one batter and walked another, Carson Jones hit a routine dribbler to second base. A wild throw allowed Garrett Michel to cross home plate for Tech’s first run.

Things stayed quiet until the bottom of the fifth inning after dominant pitching by both sides. The Hokies mustered up another run in the frame as a result of singles by Carson Jones and Chris Cannizzaro, followed by Jack Hurley getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Shortly after, Carson DeMartini drove in one run from a sacrifice fly to left field making it a one-run ballgame, 3-2.   

Even though the Hokies never led during the contest, there were bright spots from the staff. After Umberger exited in the top of the first, Kiernan Higgins and Jacob Exum combined for 5.1 scoreless innings until the seventh. Together, they allowed only three base runners and struck out four. 

“Those two guys were good,” Tech head coach John Szefc said about the two righties. “Those guys did the best they could do. But when you score three runs at home, it ain’t gonna happen.”

The Hokies kept it close until the top of the seventh, when Liberty delivered the knockout blow. The Flames racked four runs in the frame to jump ahead 7-2. Exum, who was dominant the three innings prior, got knocked out of the game after he gave up a double to Cam Foster and a single to Jake Lazzaro.

Szefc made the call to Jonah Hurney who was on the front end of a passed ball, which allowed a runner to score in his first at-bat. After walking lead-off man Kane Kepley, it was death by a million paper cuts for the rest of the inning.

Three consecutive singles by the 3-4-5 hitters on the Flames put the nail in the coffin for  Virginia Tech. Liberty obtained five of their eight total hits on the day in the top of the seventh.

The Hokies had a large breath of life in the bottom of the frame, however. After a pitching change by Liberty, Hurley cracked a moonshot well over the right field wall on the second pitch of the inning to bring Tech within four runs.

Hurley, who hit his twelfth four-bagger of the season on Tuesday, currently leads the team in homers by a sizable amount. He had 14 home runs last year, but is on pace to break that mark quickly this season. 

“He was pretty good last season,” Szefc said when asked about Hurley’s success. “He’s pretty consistent. He just needs a little more around him as far as a lot of production. I think everything he does is more magnified because he doesn’t have that production.”

Southpaw standout Andrew Sentlinger had another stellar outing, delivering 2.2 innings to close out the game without allowing more than a single baserunner. He lowered his ERA to a miniscule 2.08 through 11 appearances on the season. 

“He hadn’t pitched in a long time,” Szefc said of Sentlinger. “He was as productive as he could be. Whatever that was wasn’t his fault.”

Liberty’s pitching dominated the final stages of the game as the Flames surrendered just two baserunners and struck out four over the last three innings to close out the upset victory over VT. It was the first time the Flames have topped the Hokies at English Field since 2019. 

Adding injury to insult, the Hokies were a bit hobbled by Liberty pitching as they were beamed three times during the contest. Hurley, Cannizzaro and Michel seemed to walk it off while taking first base, so Szefc didn’t seem too concerned about the potential bruises. 

“They stayed in the game so I would imagine they’re okay. I don’t know for sure, though,” Szefc said.

Luckily for the Hokies, this isn’t the only time this season these two interstate squads will meet. They’ll have a chance to redeem their recent woes against Liberty on May 10, when the Hokies travel to Lynchburg to take on the Flames once more. 

After a compelling victory against Virginia Tech, Liberty moves to 15-17 on the season. The Flames look to take their recent success into Georgia this Friday to face the Kennesaw State Owls in their upcoming series. 

As for the Hokies, the surprising loss drops their record to 18-12. They’ll look to shake it off on Friday, when they host their first series against Georgia Tech this year at English Field.