Hokies improve to 2-0 with Saturday win over Spartans

Tom Stoffel drives home game winner in eighth for a 9-8 victory

February 18, 2017

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Virginia Tech (2-0)	2	5	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	9	11	5
USC Upstate (0-2)	1	4	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	13	2
Harley Park - 271 Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In a game knotted at 8-8 in the eighth inning, Jack Owens opened the frame with a triple and Tom Stoffel used a bunt single to plate him and give Virginia Tech Baseball a one-run lead. Aaron McGarity then came on to close the game for the Hokies and Tech improved to 2-0 on the season with the victory over USC Upstate on Saturday afternoon at Harley Park.

Much like in their season opener, the Hokies jumped out early on the Spartans, with Sam Fragale giving Tech a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-out, two-RBI double. In the second, the Hokies sent 10 men to the plate with Rahiem Cooper, Stoffel and Stevie Mangrum notching RBIs in a five-run frame.

However, USC Upstate (0-2) used several Tech errors to score seven runs over the second and third frames and take an 8-7 lead.

The Tech bullpen kept the Spartans off the board over the final six frames to allow the Hokies to tie and then reclaim the lead. Tech tied it up in the fifth on a two-out, RBI single by Owens that scored Mangrum and then Owens scored the game winner in the eighth.

Kit Scheetz improved to 1-0 on the season after tossing 3.1 innings of scoreless ball with four strikeouts and McGarity pitched the last 1.2 with two strikeouts to pick up the save.

Inside the box score

• Connor Coward: one scoreless inning, the 32nd of his career.
• Fragale: two RBIs, 15th career multi-RBI game, second his season.
• Mangrum: two doubles, four in his career; two hits, second career multi-hit game.
• Owens: triple, first of his career; three hits, first multi-hit game of career; two runs scored, first career multi-run scoring game.
• McGarity: five career saves; one full scoreless frame, 86 in his career.
• Scheetz: improves to 14-11 in his career at Tech; three full scoreless innings, 131 in his career.
• Joey Sullivan: made his eighth career start for Tech; struck out four in three innings and did not allow an earned run.
• Stoffel: two hits, 19th career multi-hit game; two RBIs, 14th multi-RBI game of his career.
• Ryan Tufts: started his 74th straight game at Tech, which leads the team; two hits, 29th multi-hit game of his career; two runs scored, 16th career multi-run scoring game; has reached base in nine of 10 plate appearances so far this season.

More Notes - Tech

• Turned two double plays in the game and has three so far this season;
• Is now 6-0 all-time against USC Upstate, including a 4-0 mark in Spartanburg and is now 8-1 all-time in the city;
• Has now won three straight on Feb. 18 and is 4-2 all-time;
• Has won its first two games of the season for the first time since 2013.

Up next

• Tech will conclude its weekend series against the Spartans with a game Sunday starting at 1 p.m.

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