Tweet

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Virginia Tech (3-1)	0	1	2	1	1	2	0	0	3	10	12	2
USC Upstate (2-2)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
Harley Park - 317 Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Behind strong pitching and a season-high 12-hit effort, Virginia Tech rolled to a 10-0 victory over the USC Upstate Spartans on Tuesday evening at Harley Park.

Andrew Rash and Chad Pinder each had three hits, while Gabe Ortiz and Chad Morgan each plated three runs with Rash adding two more RBI.

Joe Parsons (1-0) made the start for Tech and went six innings. He scattered seven hits – all singles – walked one and struck out four. Jake Atwell threw a perfect seventh with two strikeouts, Sean McDermott also struck out two in the eighth, and Brandon Fisher finished the game in the ninth and struck out one.

The Hokies put their first run on the board in the second, the first of five straight innings they pushed at least one run across the plate. Rash led off the frame with a double, moved to third on a fielder’s choice – beating the throw to the bag – and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ortiz.

In the third, Tech pushed across two starting with three straight singles by Pinder, Johnny Morales and Balisteri, whose single brought home Pinder. After Tim Smalling was hit by a pitch, loading the bases, Michael Seaborn scored Morales with a sacrifice fly to put the Hokies up 3-0.

Ortiz led off the fourth with a double and scored on Morgan’s single back up the middle to make it a four-run game. In the fifth, Tech again had the bases loaded and Ortiz came through again with a sacrifice fly, this time driving in Seaborn.

For the third time in the game, Tech loaded the bases, this time in the fifth as Pinder led off with a double and after one out, Balisteri drew a walk and Smalling was again hit by a pitch. Rash delivered a two-out two-run double to push the Hokie lead to 7-0.

Tech again had the bases loaded in the ninth and Ortiz brought one home with a walk and Morgan followed with a two-RBI single providing the final margin of victory.

USC Upstate (2-2) had just one player, Tyler Cook, touch third base, and he did it two times, once in the first and again in the sixth. They also could not take advantage of two Hokie errors as they stranded nine in the game and two more were erased on double plays.

Tech (3-1) will take a couple days off before a 10-day, nine-game home stand starts this weekend. They will welcome Niagara to English Field on Friday with a 3 p.m. start, which begins a four-game set with the Purple Eagles.

For updates on Virginia Tech baseball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Baseball).