Hokies claim first series over No. 21 Wolfpack in snow and shine

By Ryan Duvall

Staff Writer

April 9, 2022

BLACKSBURG - With one swing of his bat, Virginia Tech center fielder Gavin Cross shifted the momentum of Saturday’s game against No. 21 NC State.

Cross, who had displayed his jolting power with two home runs on Friday night, decided to give the Wolfpack a taste of his speed, as he legged out an infield single to start a big two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth inning.

With Cross on first, shortstop Tanner Schobel stepped up to the plate and jacked one of his two home runs on the day over the left field wall.

The Hokies would end the inning with a four-run lead, which head coach John Szefc credited to his star player.

“Humongous part of that game,” said the Tech head coach. “He beats it out…turns into a three-run inning because a guy [Cross] beat it down the line.”

Virginia Tech (20-7, 7-5 Atlantic Coast) would hold on for an 8-2 victory over NC State (18-11, 6-7 ACC) in a record-setting day all around.

Not only did the Hokies take the series over the Wolfpack for the first time in program history, but outfielder Jack Hurley extended his season-opening hitting streak to 26 games while catcher Cade Hunter got on base for the 26th consecutive game.

Yet the most impressive performance of the day came from starting pitcher Drue Hackenberg.

Hackenberg, a true freshman, went seven innings strong despite a 50-minute break between pitches due to a snow delay at the end of the third inning.

As crazy as that sounds, the young hurler got it done, allowing no walks and tallying a career-high eight strikeouts on the way to his sixth win of the year.

Hackenberg has managed to command the Virginia Tech rotation as a freshman, with a 6-0 record and a 2.4 ERA, but he’s just happy to contribute.

“I’m just glad I’m able to fill that spot and help us get to where we wanna be –– contending for a championship,” Hackenberg said.

Although the efforts of Hackenberg led to a less offensive game than Friday, where both squads combined for 31 runs, the Hokies still produced eight runs yesterday, hitting NC State starter Matt Willadsen hard with six earned runs.

Schobel led the charge for Tech offensively, as four of his fourteen career home runs have now been hit against NC State. He paced the squad with four RBIs, while Cross and second baseman Eduardo Malinowski contributed one.

Perhaps the coolest run of the season came in the third, when freshman third baseman Carson DeMartini stole home with two outs prior to the snow delay.

Jonah Hurney came in to relieve Hackenberg after the seventh and was lights out, –– pitching the final two innings of the game, punching out four, allowing one walk and walking none hits on 26 pitches.

With the win, Virginia Tech has now won three conference series in a row as it continues to work themselves up the ACC ladder, sitting at third place in the Coastal.

The Hokies will conclude their three game set against the Wolfpack Sunday at 1 p.m.