Virginia Tech was unable to maintain an early advantage Tuesday evening, as a steady parade of free passes and a high-octane middle-inning surge from Liberty led to an 11-4 defeat for the Hokies at English Field.
The afternoon began with a significant return to the mound as junior left-hander Madden Clement made his first appearance since a season-ending injury on opening day in 2025 against Bucknell. Clement, who recorded 23 strikeouts across 21 innings as a freshman in 2024, struggled to find his command in his return. After allowing a leadoff single to Tanner Marsh and issuing two walks, Clement exited after just one-third of an inning, having surrendered one run.
Chase Swift replaced Clement with the bases loaded and only out, successfully standing the runners with a strikeout and a flyout. Swift navigated 2.2 scoreless innings, but was pulled after throwing only 41 pitches.
Despite the early pitching change, the Hokies (15-16, 6-9 ACC) struck back in the bottom of the first, capitalizing on early command struggles from Liberty starter Josh Swink. After Nick Locurto reached on a single and Sam Grube was hit by a pitch, Henry Cooke laced an RBI single to right field to plate the game's first run. Two batters later, Willie Hurt delivered a two-out, two-RBI single to left, scoring Grube and Cooke to jumpstart Tech to a 3-1 lead.
However, that early momentum vanished as the Flames (23-9, 9-3 C-USA) took advantage of a staggering 12 walks and two hit batters issued by the Hokie pitching staff. The turning point arrived in a disastrous fourth inning where Liberty sent 10 batters to the plate. Brody Roe and Jacob Exum struggled to find the zone, walking three batters in the frame before the Flames' heart of the order broke the game open. Tanner Marsh delivered an RBI ground-rule double, followed by a two-RBI single from Riley DeCandido. The knockout blow came from Nick Barone, who cleared the bases with a three-run double down the left-field line, flipping a one-run deficit into a 7-3 Liberty lead.
Virginia Tech attempted to respond in the bottom half of the fourth. After loading the bases via two walks and a sacrifice bunt, Owen Petrich singled to right field to drive in Hudson Lutterman. While the hit cut the lead to 7-4, Petrich was thrown out at first base to end the threat, a call that stood after a Tech challenge.
Liberty effectively ended any hope of a comeback in the fifth. Facing Brendan Yagesh and Luke Craytor, the Flames used three walks and a pair of RBI singles from Marsh to plate three more runs, extending the cushion to 10-4. The Hokie offense remained stagnant through the final five innings, held to just three hits from the fifth through the ninth by a relentless Flames bullpen led by Jackson Evans, who earned the win.
The numbers tell the story of a game defined by free passes and missed opportunities. While both teams finished with nine hits, Virginia Tech’s pitchers combined to issue 14 free bases (12 walks, 2 HBP) compared to just seven for Liberty. The loss continues a difficult stretch for Tech, who have now lost three consecutive series meetings against Liberty and move to 5-8 against the Flames under head coach John Szefc.
Virginia Tech will look to put the midweek loss behind them as they head to Massachusetts for a three-game series against No. 23 Boston College. The series opener is scheduled for Friday, April 10, at 3 p.m. ET, while Saturday’s game will be played at Fenway Park for the ALS Awareness Game.
