No. 21 Hokies dominate No. 2 Miami for game, series before record crowd

By Sam Alves

Staff Writer

April 15, 2022

BLACKSBURG — A year ago this weekend, a ranked Virginia Tech team lost a series to traditional ACC power Georgia Tech, a tough-but-innocuous result for a team angling to host an NCAA regional.

Instead, the series started a downward slide — that turned into a full-blown avalanche — as the Hokies dropped 15 of their last 17 games against ACC competition.

This time around, though, No. 21 Virginia Tech continued to build on its hot start in mid-April. With a 13-2 win Friday night, the Hokies earned their best series win since taking two games at then-No. 6 Miami last season, delighted their home fans –– the 3,521 in attendance set a regular season attendance record –– and continued an ascent unforeseen to most outside the Tech locker room.

“If there’s a better crowd in the ACC than this one, I haven’t seen it,” Tech head coach John Szefc said. “It felt like I was at a football game.”

Szefc said he’s been to Super Regional games with tamer atmospheres than the one at English Field on Friday.

For a second straight game, the fans had plenty to cheer for early and often, as Tech (23-8, 9-6 Atlantic Coast) handed Miami (27-8, 13-4 ACC) its first conference series loss of the season.

Miami’s left-handed starter, Karson Ligon, looked poised to match Tech starter Drue Hackenberg’s quick first inning, but Tanner Schobel legged out an infield single with two outs to extend the frame. That brought Jack Hurley to the plate, and the lefty pulled an RBI double to put Tech on the board in the first inning for the second straight night.

Eduardo Malinowski doubled Tech’s lead with an RBI single shot right up the middle, and Cade Hunter doubled it again by pulling a no-doubter to right field to complete the two-out rally. The homer was Hunter’s fifth in six games and pushed his on-base streak to 30 games to start the season.

Szefc and Schobel both mentioned Tech’s big innings this year have often included an infield single or clutch hits with two outs.

Such was the case Friday, when Tech scored 10 of its 13 runs with two away. (Take away those runs, and Tech had a 3-2 advantage.)

Schobel started another rally his next time up, lining an opposite-field double to left field in the third. Hurley then chopped a comebacker to Ligon, who yanked his throw to second into center field, setting up runners at the corners. Malinowski brought home Schobel with a grounder to short to push Tech’s lead to 5-1.

Meanwhile, Drue Hackenberg dealt. The true freshman allowed just one earned run — a one-out single in the second — in the longest outing of his young career. In that second inning, he faced runners on the corners after allowing the RBI single, but he picked off Mike Rosario at first before inducing a pop-up to third baseman Carsson DeMartini to end the threat. From there, it was smooth sailing.

Hackenberg needed just six pitches to retire the side in the fourth and seventh, efficient frames that prolonged his start.

“We needed a big start from Hackenberg,” Szefc said. “Hackenberg goes out there and stuffs for eight innings. That’s a rare thing. That guy did not throw one pitch in the fall….He was really special.”

So, too, is Tech’s offense. Malinowski batted in four runners to pace the Hokies.

“It was a pitcher that likes to mix a lot,” Malinowski said. “Yesterday, they were spinning me a lot, so I was just sitting more on off-speed today.”

Otherwise, it was a balanced attack, with no other hitter recording more than two RBIs despite the lopsided score. After Friday’s result, Tech has outscored Miami 25-7 on the weekend.

The run support balanced out the pressure from a full house for Hackenberg, who finished with an impressive stat line: seven strikeouts, five hits, three walks and just one earned run over 114 pitches.

All the more impressive considering he didn’t pitch at all in the fall. Instead, patience from Szefc — who earned his 500th career win as head coach — and Co. has paid dividends.

“They’ve been a huge support the whole time even though I wasn’t pitching in the fall,” Hackenberg said. “It was kind of waiting for the time to come. They knew. They knew he’s going to come eventually –– and it’s going to be good.”