no. 23 virginia tech beats wake forest; move atop acc coastal division standings

Ryan Wilkes

April 10, 2021

Winston-Salem, N.C. 一 No. 23 Virginia Tech (17-9, 12-7 ACC) defeated Wake Forest (10-13, 5-10 ACC), despite some mid-game adversity and a weather delay.

Both the Hokies and the Demon Deacons starters delivered solid outings for their respective squads.

For Wake Forest, Ryan Cusick, a potential first-round draft pick, threw 5 ⅓ innings, gave up eight hits and five runs, but only one was earned. He pumped gas all night, touching the high 90s with ease all evening. Cusick also fanned nine Hokies and surpassed his career-high for strikeouts in a season with 56.

Hokies’ starter Peyton Alford responded to his subpar start last time out against Boston College, throwing 4 ⅓ innings and giving up only three hits and an earned run.

In uncharismatic fashion, Tech wasted no time finding the scoreboard in the second inning. Dayne Leonard belted a ball deep to right field that fell just inches away from being a home run, as shortstop Tanner Schobel hopped on his high horse and came around to score.

Designated hitter Cade Swisher followed right after Leonard, punching a base hit through the right side of the infield and allowed Leonard to come across home plate with a headfirst slide and score to extend Tech’s lead, 2-0.

After Tech jumped out to a 5-1 lead, Wake Forest cut the deficit to one thanks to a big sixth inning.

The Demon Deacons had already scored three runs in the inning and had runners on first and second with only one out in the sixth. They were looking to add more and take the lead from the Hokies, but Mother Nature had something to say about that.

To the surprise of everyone at David F. Couch Ballpark, the game was sent into a lightning delay. When the game resumed a little over thirty minutes later, the Deacons momentum had been derailed.

Reliever Jaison Heard easily set down the next two Wake hitters coming out of the delay, and a Gavin Cross home run in the seventh pushed the Tech lead back to two.

In the eighth, a throwing error by second baseman Pierce Bennett allowed Carson Jones and Kevin Madden to come across to score, as the Hokies extended their lead to 8-4.

Wake was not without its chances on Friday as they left 11 runners stranded on base and were only three-for-12 with runners in scoring position. The Deacons loaded the bases twice but ended the game with just four runs to show for it.

With the win, the Hokies improved to 12-7 in ACC play, putting them atop the Coastal Division after Georgia Tech fell to Notre Dame on Friday night.

The Hokies and the Demon Deacons return to David F. Couch Ballpark Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. for the second game of the three game series.