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The Hokies struggled on offense just a bit in the first game this weekend, and nipped off a win by a few runs. The second game against Kent State was a bit firmer, maybe it was the uniform change, but the Hokie bats woke up to ease the strain on the defense, to grab a convincing 9-2 win in the ‘nightcap’ of that double header.
It was a nice head of steam for the Gobblers and with good weather promised (well the wind might not have cooperated much but the temps were much better) on Tuesday, the Hokies looked to host our long time friends and New River Valley non-revenue sports rivals (the soccer folks call it a ‘friendly’ relationship). There are many Hokies with Highlander degrees, family, and experience. Radford even participates in Hokie football games. But when it comes to Basketball and Baseball, Radford is very often a tough opponent. Usually when the Hokies and the Highlanders play on the diamond(s) - they play softball, too. The contests are tight and there is no guarantee of a winner.
Well, yesterday wasn’t the normal case. There was just not a ton of opportunity for the Men in Kilts to make their presence known. They did score the opening run, which was answered right back by the Hokies in the 1st. They also managed to keep the Hokies off the plate in the second. And that was the sum total of anything close about this particular contest.
We take down Radford in our first midweek game #BIIB pic.twitter.com/CJ4LUWNCby
— Virginia Tech Baseball (@HokiesBaseball) February 23, 2021
Virginia Tech Hokies vs Radford Highlanders
| Team/Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team/Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Radford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| >>Virginia Tech | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 6 | X | 22 | 17 | 1 |
The Hokie Box Score looks like a fill it BINGO or Yatzee score card.
Virginia Tech Hokies Box for the Radford Game
| Player | At Bats | Runs | Hits | RBI | Walks | Strikeouts | Left on the Bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | At Bats | Runs | Hits | RBI | Walks | Strikeouts | Left on the Bags |
| J. Hurley | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| B. Reback | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| G. Cross | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| K. Madden | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Leonard | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Rumfield | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| N. Holesa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| J. Seagears | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Thomas | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| C. Swisher | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| L. Donlon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Jones | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Schobel | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Hunter | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| G. Ebel | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| F. Genther | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| R. Okuda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R. Metz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| N. Johnson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| H. Weycker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G. Umberger | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Ritchey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 39 | 22 | 17 | 20 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
The big stick for the Hokies ended up being TJ Rumfield with two ringing dingers in the swirling Blacksburg wind. Catcher Cade Hunter grabbed his first of the season, and the doubles (including another long shot from Rumfield) were furious. The secret hammer was Short Stop Fritz Genther who managed a 3 for 4 day with 5 at bats and one base on balls. Fritz crossed the plate three times.
The basic highlights were more like a blizzard than the usual flurry.
Hitting
Doubles: J. Hurley (1); G. Cross (1); D. Leonard (1); T. Rumfield (1); C. Jones (1)
Taters: T. Rumfield (2); C. Hunter (1)
Sac Flies: G. Cross (1); T. Schobel (2)
On the Bags
Plonked (lots of plonking going on): J. Hurley (1); B. Reback (1); G. Cross (1); D. Leonard (1); T. Schobel (1); C. Hunter (1)
Issues of the E kind
Oopsies: F. Genther (1)
22 runs is a whole bunch, and baseball being a total balance marathon, most baseball fans are always wary of at team blowing out all of its ‘karma’ in one game. The Hokies travel to Coral Gables to take on the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC opener, and that will be a serious three game challenge on the road in a young season. Hopefully the Fighting Gobblers take some of that momentum down to Florida.