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The Alcorn State visited Blacksburg for a compressed weekend three game series. Games 1 and 2 were played in a late double header at Union Park on Saturday. Sunday's game ended up being shortened by events and travel plans for Alcron State. The results of the final game will be posted below, but its 7 inning nature and 23-7 blowout results will go unremarked other than the bare statistics. It was a tough series for the Braves, and there is no need to gloat.
Virginia Tech Hokies vs Alcorn State Braves - Game 1
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Alcorn State (15-30) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
2 |
|
Virginia Tech (16-31) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
X |
9 |
13 |
1 |
W: Packy Naughton (3-7) L: Daniel Corona (1-3)
SV: Ryan Lauria (1)
Packy Naughton started the first contest in what was a pretty late start for a double header; 4:00 o'clock. The Braves kept up a good pitching presence and managed to jump out to a 2 to 0 lead by the middle of the fifth inning. They scored first on a 2 run home run in their half of the fourth by their third baseman Walter Vives.
Tech scored in their half of the 5th with three manufactured runs. Stevie Mangrum worked a walk, Logan Bible rapped a single, and then Alcorn State had the beginnings of a slight defensive meltdown. There was a wild pitch and then a throwing error that first moved the runners to 2nd and 3rd; and then scored Mangrum putting Ryan Tufts on 1st. Tom Stoffel knotted it up at 2 with a solid double, which scored Bible. When Nick Anderson came to the plate all he needed to do was hit a deep SAC fly that scored Tufts. (Which was unearned but that's a statistics sort of thing. Stats don't count in the W-L column.)
From that inning on, Tech started pressing on the accelerator; scoring two runs in the 7th and four runs in the eighth. Packy Naughton was relieved in the top of the sixth but his teammates had done enough to get him the win. Ryan Lauria relieved Packy and earned his first official Save. Alcorn State never really challenged for the remainder of the game.
Virginia Tech Box Score for May 8th Game 1:
|
|
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
PO |
A |
LOB |
|
Ryan Tufts SS |
5 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
|
Tom Stoffel RF |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
|
Phil Sciretta 1B |
5 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
|
Nick Anderson LF |
3 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Sam Fragale 3B |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
|
Garrett Hudson 2B |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
|
Mac Caples PH |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Matt Dauby 2B |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Joe Freiday, Jr. C |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
5 |
|
Andrew Mogg PH/C |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Stevie Mangrum DH |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Logan Bible CF |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Packy Naughton P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Ryan Lauria P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Totals |
35 |
9 |
13 |
9 |
4 |
5 |
27 |
5 |
10 |
Doubles: Tufts, Stoffel, Sciretta, Anderson, Mogg
Home Runs: Tufts, Anderson
RBI: Tufts (2), Stoffel, Anderson (5), Mogg
Clutch RBI: Mogg
Game 2's first pitch was late by traditional English Field (at Union Park) times. It was nearly ten minutes to eight before things got going.
Virginia Tech Hokies vs Alcorn State Braves - Game 2
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Alcorn State (15-31) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
12 |
1 |
|
Virginia Tech (17-31) |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
X |
9 |
10 |
0 |
W: Joey Sullivan (1-0) L: George Helbig (3-7)
SV: Chris Monaco (1)
Tech broke the ice in a relative hurry. Anthony Mogg hit a solo shot home run in the bottom of the 2nd. The Braves Jason Sanez responded in kind in the top of the third. Tech responded with a grinding 3 run bottom of the 3rd, and never really looked back for the entire contest.
Ryan Tufts would bag the second of Tech's home runs in the bottom of the 5th, only Stevie Mangrum and Matt Dauby were on the bags. By the end of the inning, Tech was up 8 runs to 2. Alcorn State didn't give up on the game, though. They worked two runs off of a single, a batter hit by a pitch, an RBI double and then an RBI ground out. They never got closer as Chris Monaco shut them down for the last few and allowed him to earn a Save like his teammate Ryan Lauria in Game 1.
Virginia Tech Box Score for May 8th Game 2:
|
|
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
PO |
A |
LOB |
|
Ryan Tufts SS |
5 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
3 |
|
Tom Stoffel RF |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Phil Sciretta 1B |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
|
Nick Anderson LF |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
|
Sam Fragale 3B |
5 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
|
Andrew Mogg C |
4 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
|
Stevie Mangrum DH |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Matt Dauby 2B |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
Rahiem Cooper CF |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
|
Joey Sullivan P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Chris Monaco P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Totals |
33 |
9 |
10 |
8 |
11 |
5 |
27 |
11 |
13 |
Double: Stoffel
Home Runs: Tufts, Mogg
RBI: Tufts (3, Sciretta, Fragale, Mogg (2), Dauby
Clutch RBI: Tufts (3)
Stolen Bases: Cooper (2)
Men Left on Base: 13
Lest anyone think that there was a ‘slaughter rule' in effect, or the game was suddenly changed to a slow pitch softball contest, Alcorn State had to travel and the game dragged on. They fought hard and scored 7, but a normally impressive seven runs was not sufficient by a long stretch for this game. Because we know that particular feeling from several contests this season, we will merely thank the Alcorn State Braves for their hard play and good sportsmanship.
Virginia Tech Hokies vs Alcorn State Braves - Game 3
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Alcorn State (15-32) |
1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
12 |
5 |
|
Virginia Tech (18-31) |
3 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
X |
23 |
15 |
1 |
W: Connor Coward (1-1) L: Reggie Johnson (3-6)
Virginia Tech Box Score for May 8th Game 3:
|
|
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
PO |
A |
LOB |
|
Ryan Tufts SS |
3 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
|
Chris Meador SS |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
|
Tom Stoffel RF |
2 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Logan Bible CF |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Phil Sciretta 1B |
2 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
|
Nick Anderson LF |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Mac Caples LF |
3 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Sam Fragale 3B |
4 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
Andrew Mogg C |
3 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
|
Stevie Mangrum DH |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Matt Dauby 2B |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
Garrett Hudson PH/2B |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
Rahiem Cooper CF/RF |
5 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Connor Coward P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Andrew McDonald P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Cole Kragel P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Luis Collazo P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Totals |
34 |
23 |
15 |
20 |
7 |
6 |
21 |
9 |
8 |
Doubles: Tufts, Bible, Sciretta, Anderson, Caples (2), Fragale (2), Mogg, Cooper
Home Runs: Fragale
RBI: Tufts (3), Sciretta (4), Anderson, Caples (4), Fragale (4), Mogg (2), Dauby, Hudson
Wrap Up Time:
I mean that literally. The school year is over. Classes ended on Wednesday, Finals started On Friday, and the great exodus from Blacksburg will commence by mid-week. Only the peculiarities of the baseball season will keep the Virginia Tech Hokies Players in their dorm rooms, and on the diamond. Tech will have a break for the this week, and play will resume on Friday when we face the visiting Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. VMI will be coming to visit for a Senior Night game on May 17th. The last three games of the regular season will be played in Charlottesville against the Wahoos (May 19-21).
Just a few more weeks left.