After losing the series opener yesterday, the #5 Virginia Tech Hokies were eager to bounce back quickly while #7 Louisville was looking to lock in a series victory.
Similar to the first game of this series; a star center fielder, a talented starting pitcher, and a talented freshman fielder proved to be the biggest difference makers in this game. Unlike Friday's game, those players were all coming out of the home third base dugout this time.
Virginia Tech (35-11, 15-9 ACC) beat Louisville (35-14-1, 16-9-1 ACC) 4-3 thanks to a big game from star center fielder Gavin Cross, a strong outing from Drue Hackenberg, and a clutch RBI single from Carson DeMartini to give Tech a critical insurance run.
After a quiet offensive start to this game for both teams, Cross began to take over starting in the third inning with a two-run home run after Nick Biddison opened the bottom of the third with an infield single. From there, Cross had a pair of additional shining moments including a stolen base after a walk plus a crucial outfield assist in the top of the eighth inning after Louisville got a lead-off single from Ben Bianco and then pinch ran Chris Seng who tried to tag up to get to 2nd with no outs, but was thrown out by Cross.
Cross proved the old saying that big time players make big time plays as VT head coach John Szefc said after the game.
"Well I think big players make big plays, they do, that's why their elite-level, big plays because they make plays like that. Like (Jack) Hurley was going to catch that ball unless it was on the bullpen, he would have broken through the fence. Well Gavin made a catch just like that in the right center gap at UVA two weeks ago to help us win that series. The bottom line that elite-level players make elite-level plays, they do. That's why they're so few of them, but that's why when you have a few guys like that, you got to appreciate them," Szefc said.
Cross' two-run home run was the beginning of a big inning for the Hokies as Jack Hurley used a one out single to keep the momentum going before making an impressive swim move to avoid a tag and steal second base.
Wow! @jhurlz5 out there showing off moves from the Matrix!#NCAABaseball x 🎥 @HokiesBaseball pic.twitter.com/BdYkS0Hm4q
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) May 14, 2022
That ignited some momentum as Tech would load the bases for Eduardo Malinowski who brought home Hurley on a sac fly to make it a 3-0 Tech lead.
Louisville's Carter Lohman steadied himself out from there though getting out of the 2-on, 2-out jam without allowing a run in the third before allowing only 1 baserunner over the next 3 innings.
Meanwhile, Drue Hackenberg was in control throughout much of his 6.1 innings of action tying a career high with 8 strikeouts while allowing only 5 hits, 2 runs, and 1 walk. That did include a tight moment in the fifth inning where he gave up where he gave up an RBI single to Brandon Anderson cutting VT's lead to 3-1 with runners on the corners.
For most freshmen, that likely would be a moment to easily fold in. For Hackenberg, it was a moment where he put together some of his finest work of the season striking out Ben Bianco and then forcing leadoff hitter Ben Metzinger into a pop out to end the inning and escape the jam.
The seventh inning would bring another jam for Hackenberg with Isaac Humphrey singling before a "wild pitch" that got lost right underneath Cade Hunter got Humphrey to second with Logan Beard bringing him home on a RBI single.
John Szefc made a big decision taking out Hackenberg and bringing in reliever Henry Weycker, but that decision proved to be the right one as Weycker only needed one pitch to get Brandon Anderson to ground into a double play to end the top of the 7th inning.
Weycker's stint wouldn't be without more jams starting in the eighth as he walked Ben Bianco with Chris Seng coming in to pinch run. That's where he got a deep fly out off Metzinger and then watched Gavin Cross launch a cannon of a throw to second to get Seng out. He then hit Dalton Rushing with a pitch, but followed that with a strikeout of Jack Payton to escape the eighth unharmed.
Meanwhile, Tech's offense got going again to add a little insurance with Conor Hartigan singling, Brennan Reback pinch running for him, and Cade Hunter advancing him to second on a sac bunt. Lucas Donlon would walk two batters later setting up a two-on, two-out situation for Carson DeMartini with the freshman stepping up big via an RBI single to bring home Reback and extend the lead to 4-2.
That insurance run would become important as Weycker struggled early in the ninth inning including a sequence where he had a balk where he seemed to slip on a slick mound before hitting Isaac Humphrey with a pitch with Cameron Masterman already on third. Logan Beard brought Masterman home on an RBI single with Humphrey going to third creating a high pressure situation for Weycker with the momentum against him.
Instead, Weycker turned it on one more time getting a foul out off Brandon Anderson followed by a strikeout of Drake Westcott on three-straight swinging strikes to end the game and seal the victory.
Drue Hackenberg was credited with his ninth win of the season while Lohman was given the loss and Weycker was credited with his first save.
It was a win that Virginia Tech needed after losing the opener and one that they grinded out with some clutch hitting, pitching, fielding, and baserunning all making a difference in the end for the Hokies.
