Virginia Tech Dominates Fordham, 12-0

By Nick Cheshire

Staff Writer

February 25, 2022

BLACKSBURG — While the temperature barely broke 50 degrees, the Virginia Tech bats and pitching staff were red hot, culminating in a dominant 12-0 win over the Fordham Rams.

“That was about the cleanest game we’ve played in five years,” head coach John Szefc said.

The Hokies (4-0) defeated the Rams (1-4) behind an all-around team effort, including standout performances from starting pitcher Griffin Green, reliever Jonah Hurney, and a handful of hitters in the Hokies’ starting lineup.

“Green was tremendous; we had a two-hit shutout; obviously [Jack] Hurley’s two jacks; and Tanner Schobel had four RBIs,” Szefc said.

Once again, Green was masterful, pitching six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and allowing just two walks. His second start mirrored his first, when he logged five scoreless innings against UNC Asheville last Friday.

“It was a very similar start,” Szefc said of Green’s performance. “He threw a ton of strikes. They never really threatened him. He went two times through [the lineup,] and he probably could have kept pitching [because] his pitch count was low.”

“I felt super-duper good out there,” Green said. “I just kept attacking the zone, once again, trying to get ahead. Nothing really changed.”

But Green was only the first act of a dominant performance by the Hokies’ pitching staff, which posted a two-hit combined shutout.

Hurney, first in relief of Green, dazzled in two innings of work, striking out five and retiring all six batters he faced.

“Hurney’s a stud.” Green said. “He has three different pitches, all with late break. They’re sharp and move a lot. We definitely have a group where we want to get the defense involved as much as possible. We rely on a lot of ground balls and can strike ‘em out as well.”

Jack Hurley led the way offensively, hitting 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double and a walk. His day was highlighted by an opposite-field, two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth where he left the strike zone to lift an outside pitch over the left-field wall.

“It wasn’t even a strike,” Hurley said of the pitch he hit for his second home run. “It was probably two balls off the plate, but sometimes you just flick it up into that wind and it goes.”

Gavin Cross made his return to the lineup Friday. After leading the ACC with five steals last year, Cross tripled for the second time in as many games to start his 2022 campaign. He brought home Nick Biddison with his lone hit in the fourth and scored two runs.

Graduate transfer Eduardo Malinowski joined Hurley on the home run parade. His second four-bagger of the season capped a four-run third inning. The Hokies one-upped that frame with five runs in the eighth to reach double digits.

The two teams will meet again Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m., when the Hokies will look to continue their non-conference dominance.

“This year’s been awesome,” Green said. “I’m really excited for what it has in store for us.”