:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53892293/rcoopersdouble.0.jpg)
There was a reason not to call the last 3 a streak. Face it, in baseball, streaks are totally abnormal. It’s two steps up, one step back, then up and back up and back. Sowing together more than a few wins in a row is much more difficult than the all too predictable slumps. Some baseball statistician told me that slumps were easier than win streaks because there were many more opponents and many more probabilities of running into teams on a hot streak than your team maintaining one. I don’t know, the math is not in my headspace. I’m all about the story and the raw statistics are educational, but not indicative. Which means okay, so we lost one, let’s get it back this time and put that in the past.
Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Pittsburgh Panthers Game 1:
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Virginia Tech (14-10, 3-4-0) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
6 |
2 |
|
Pittsburgh (9-10, 2-5-0) |
1 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
X |
9 |
12 |
0 |
Win: Josh Mitchell (1-2) Loss: Packy Naughton (1-4)
The loss was the 4th for Packy Naughton and the low offensive output in the first six innings didn’t help him much on the momentum side. Pitt opened the game with a one run first inning, and then piled on for four in the bottom of the 3rd. Packy struggled with some control issues, hit a batter, and then Pitt mixed singles and doubles into a four run stream before the final out.
Tech didn’t even get on the board until the top of the 5th, with a home run by Matt Dauby. The elimination of the skunk really didn’t help much until the top of the 8th, but the Hokies were playing from behind the power curve. They just never made up the 4 run 4th, and even with a three run burst in the top of the 9th, couldn’t close the gap.
Things to note in this game, offensively. There was really only the long ball for the Hokies, with four home runs scoring all five for Tech in this game. Jack Owens, Stevie Mangrum, Matt Dauby, and Rahiem Cooper (2 run shot) all put more ‘taters in their stat columns.
Virginia Tech Box score for March 24th:
|
|
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
PO |
A |
LOB |
|
Jack Owens 2B |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
|
Ryan Tufts SS |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
Tom Stoffel RF |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
Sam Fragale 1B |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
9 |
0 |
2 |
|
JD Mundy DH |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Mac Caples LF |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Joe Freiday, Jr. C |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
9 |
1 |
0 |
|
Stevie Mangrum PH |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Matt Dauby 3B |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
|
Rahiem Cooper CF |
4 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
|
Packy Naughton P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
Culver Hughes P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Paul Hall, Jr. P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Dylan Hall P |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Totals |
32 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
9 |
24 |
10 |
5 |
Triples: Owens
Home Runs: Owens, Mangrum, Dauby, Cooper
RBI: Owens, Mangrum, Dauby, Cooper (2)
Clutch RBIs: Mangrum, Cooper (2)
Stolen Bases: Dauby
Errors: Owens (2)
Men Left Standing on the Bags: 5
Today is a double header day. That’s normally not very good news for a series win in this situation since the first game was dropped and most of the time a double header is a split sort of deal. We’ll see how the lineups are sliced and diced between the games. Tech really needs to win this series, because next week the Campbell Camels come for a Tuesday visit to English (They play us tough) and then we have another home stand against fellow Big East transplant to the ACC, Boston College. The Eagles are going to be tough. The series is a 38 game regular since 2001 with the Hokies holding a bare edge in wins.
But first, we need to get by Pitt.