Late rally lifts Virginia Tech over High Point, 10-4

By Nick Cheshire

Staff Writer

March 1, 2022

BLACKSBURG — An taste of adversity of a young season culminated in a five-run seventh inning, as Virginia Tech pulled away from High Point after an uncomfortable first six frames.

“We don’t give up, we were battling there for a second,” Carson DeMartini said. “I’ve never played in an ACC game before but that’s what it felt like for the first few innings.”

Contributions from all over the box score, including six different pitchers, lifted Virginia Tech (7-0) over High Point (1-8) on Tuesday, preserving the Hokies perfect start to the 2022 season.

“Teams that have success normally do it because they get contributions from a lot of different people, not just the same guys,” head coach John Szefc said. “It was good to play a close game, it was good to come from behind.”

Ryan Kennedy got the start for the Hokies, going 4 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out two batters.

“Anytime you have a starter that goes out there and gets you four or five innings, I think he did a good job,” Szefc said. “He didn’t walk anyone and he probably gave up more hits than he’d like, but he made big pitches when he had to and he kept us in the game.”

Sean Fisher, Jackson Ritchey, Jonah Hurney and Brady Kirtner each recorded multiple outs, keeping the game close after Kennedy’s departure and giving the Hokies a chance to win late.

“Some guys didn’t have their best stuff, some guys did, but the biggest thing was that they picked each other up.” DeMartini said.

“You just have to find a way to win in different ways,” Szefc said. “Hurney was really good out of the bullpen, we got some good performances from guys like Tackett and Martin who haven’t played a whole lot.”

Tackett and Martin each contributed a hit and a pair of walks, stepping in nicely and holding down the bottom of the lineup, keeping the line moving nicely after DeMartini in the seven spot.

DeMartini went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, and two RBI’s, one of which came in the five-run seventh inning, when the Hokies stayed patient and capitalized on three wild pitches. He also flashed the leather on multiple occasions on the hot corner, looking like a seasoned veteran.

“I worked really hard getting used to third base,” DeMartini said. “I played shortstop growing up so sliding over was a little odd, but I thought I played pretty well.”

Hurney notched his first win of the season after pitching the seventh and eighth innings, only allowing one run on a solo home run to left field while striking out three.

“Hurney’s been pretty good, pretty consistent,” Szefc said. “He generates some really bad swings and he did that tonight.”

Up 10-4 and with the Panthers down to their last out, Szefc motioned to the bullpen to call on young Tyler Dean to make his collegiate debut. Dean, a top-100 recruit in the 2021 class, pumped three mid 90’s fastballs across the plate to close out the game.

“I went out there with a chip on my shoulder and tried to take advantage of the opportunity given to me,” Dean said.

The theme for the staff has stayed consistent, as Szefc emphasizes a strategy to limit walks and challenge opposing hitters.

“Kirtner, Hurney, him [Dean], strikes, strikes, strikes,” Szefc siad. “We’ve just been trying to attack the zone and not give up a ton of free bases.”

With four non-conference games remaining before the ACC schedule kicks off, the early-season development has been encouraging for the coaching staff, especially in comparison to last year when the Hokies only played three non-conference games.

“I think we can do everything a little bit better, and that’s what you hope to get out of your pre-conference games,” Szefc said. “It’s nice to be able to have those games with some of your new players to get used to getting in the game.”

Starting 7-0 doesn’t hurt either, and adding a little adversity into the mix can benefit the Hokies heading into an intriguing weekend series.

“It’s a good mindset going into [this weekend against] Wright State,” DeMartini said. “They’re a good program, they have guys that throw hard with good stuff, so it’s a good confidence builder.”