Virginia Tech struck first but could not withstand Marshall’s relentless offensive pressure, falling 13-4 on Tuesday afternoon at English Field.
The Hokies (7-5, 0-0 ACC) built an early lead and briefly appeared to have momentum on their side, but a five-run fourth inning from the Thundering Herd (5-6, 0-0 SBC) flipped the game entirely. Marshall continued to pile on runs through the middle innings, finishing with 18 hits and pulling away comfortably by the late innings.
Virginia Tech wasted little time creating offense. Sam Grube opened the bottom of the first inning with a single to left field, immediately setting the tone for an aggressive start. Pete Daniel followed with a base hit of his own, giving the Hokies two runners on base with nobody out.
Although Virginia Tech was unable to record a hit with runners in scoring position in the inning, the Hokies’ aggressive base-running created pressure on Marshall right-handed starter Alex Caudill. Grube eventually came home on a wild pitch to give Tech a quick 1-0 advantage.
The Hokies extended the lead in the third inning with another productive sequence at the top of the lineup. Grube again sparked the offense with a single and later moved into scoring position after stealing second base. Daniel delivered the big swing of the inning, driving a double into the left-center gap that brought Grube home and pushed the Hokies ahead 2-1.
Daniel stole third, and after a Nick Locurto walk, they added onto the momentum with a daring play on the base paths, executing a double steal to give Virginia Tech a 3-1 lead.
For the first three innings, the Hokies appeared comfortable. Starter Ben Weber worked through early traffic on the mound while the offense provided just enough support to keep Tech in control.
That control vanished quickly in the fourth inning. Marshall’s offense exploded for five runs in the frame, turning a two-run deficit into a three-run lead. Mason Onate started the rally with an RBI double, followed shortly after by Jack Smith’s run-scoring single that trimmed the Hokies’ lead.
The inning quickly unraveled from there. Evan Bottone added another RBI single before Jackson Halter delivered the biggest blow of the inning, lining a two-run double down the left-field line. By the time the Hokies recorded the final out of the frame, Marshall had scored five runs and seized a 6-3 advantage.
Virginia Tech head coach John Szefc pointed to a mixture of pitching execution and defensive struggles as the primary reasons for the inning spiraling out of control.
“We didn’t play very good defense behind [our pitchers], and they couldn’t finish hitters,” Szefc said. “It was kind of a combination of the pitches [our pitchers] were making and us not being able to defend properly behind them.”
Marshall continued to build its lead in the fifth inning when Ethan Murdoch launched a solo home run to left field. The Thundering Herd added two more runs in the sixth and then broke the game open completely in the seventh inning.
That frame saw Marshall score four more runs, aided by a Pete Daniel defensive error that allowed the rally to continue. Cooper Hinson delivered a two-run double during the inning, pushing the Thundering Herd’s lead firmly into double digits.
By the end of the afternoon, Marshall had recorded 18 hits, with several players contributing multi-hit performances. Bottone and Hinson each collected three hits, while Kamerer, Smith and Wil Gubba also provided consistent production throughout the lineup.
Virginia Tech’s offense, meanwhile, struggled to regain the rhythm it had earlier in the game. The Hokies finished with nine hits, but after the third inning, they were largely held in check by Marshall’s pitching staff. Reliever Landen Doll proved especially effective, pitching six innings out of the bullpen and striking out eight Hokies while allowing just one run.
“That guy was tough,” Szefc said. “He stopped us in our tracks. Give him a lot of credit. His numbers were good coming in, and he pitched through those numbers. There wasn’t much to be had off him.”
Sam Grube and Pete Daniel led the Hokies offensively with two hits apiece, while Hudson Lutterman added an RBI single in the sixth inning that accounted for Virginia Tech’s final run of the game. Despite those efforts, the Hokies struggled to generate consistent offense across the lineup and left 10 runners on base.
Following the game, Szefc did not hide his frustration with the team’s performance.
“I’ll take the blame for that,” he said. “Our guys were clearly not prepared to play at all. That’s about as big of an embarrassment as we’re going to have on a baseball field since I’ve been here.”
The loss comes during a difficult stretch for the Hokies, who are coming off a challenging weekend and now must regroup quickly with another tough series looming.
Szefc acknowledged that the team’s offensive struggles have become a growing concern early in the season.
“It’s concerning,” he said. “We have not been able to be productive at all.”
For the Hokies, Tuesday’s loss served as a reminder that early momentum means little without sustained execution. Virginia Tech jumped ahead early, but Marshall’s explosive middle innings ultimately defined the afternoon.
The Hokies will have little time to dwell on their disappointing performance. Virginia Tech now turns its attention toward the upcoming weekend, where it will travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to face No.5 Georgia Tech. The first game is scheduled for Friday, March 6, with a first pitch time of 6 p.m. ET.
“We have guys that need to get a lot of things straight,” Szefc said. “And I’ll take care of making that happen.”
