no. 22 virginia tech welcomes virginia for three-game series

Ryan Wilkes

April 30, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. 一 No. 22 Virginia Tech (22-15, 15-12 ACC) welcomes Virginia (20-19, 11-16 ACC) to English Field for an all-important ACC series and the latest edition of the Commonwealth Clash.

Both squads are coming off midweek non-conference wins, as Tech hammered East Tennessee State and UVA picked up a comeback victory over in-state foe, Liberty.

The Cavaliers faced a 5-0 deficit heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but Brendan Rivoli gave Virginia its first run of the game with an RBI double.

In the eighth, freshman Kyle Teel hit a go-ahead solo home run to give the Cavs the 6-5 lead. Closer Stephen Schoch smothered the Flames in the ninth to secure the victory for Virginia.

Virginia Tech had a drama-free Tuesday night matchup as the outcome was never in question.

The Hokies proved that they can not only hit the long ball, but they can score runs in bundles with situational hitting. Gavin Cross opened the floodgates with a two-run double en route to a six-run fifth inning that gave Tech a 7-0 lead. The Hokies never looked back, blowing the wind out the sails of the Buccaneers, 12-0.

In a tightly contested ACC coastal division, this series holds a lot of weight for both the Hokies and the Cavaliers.

After dropping two straight conference series, Tech was dethroned atop the ACC coastal. Now in a three-way tie in the loss column with Georgia Tech and Miami, the Hokies have a lot sitting on the outcome of this series.

Virginia has found itself in unfamiliar territory at this point in the season, sitting at seventh in the coastal. Despite the underwhelming 2021 campaign, a series victory over the Hokies could be a significant resume booster for the Cavaliers as the postseason quickly approaches.

Virginia holds the all-time record over Virginia Tech (103-87), but Tech looks to use home field advantage to take down its rival. Both teams search for a significant win to kick off the series on Friday at 7 p.m. at English Field.

Game Information:

Virginia @ Virginia Tech

English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park

7 p.m.

ACC Network