Tech sweeps USC Upstate after 8-2 victory on Sunday

Andrew McDonald with career day on the mound leads Hokies to win

February 19, 2017

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Virginia Tech (3-0)	0	0	1	0	1	1	2	0	3	8	13	0
USC Upstate (0-3)	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	8	2
Harley Park - 229 Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Redshirt-junior Andrew McDonald held USC Upstate to just two runs over seven-plus innings and struck out nine to help the Virginia Tech baseball team to an 8-2 victory over USC Upstate on Sunday afternoon at Harley Park as the Hokies finished off the three-game weekend sweep of the Spartans to open the 2017 season.

Unlike the first two games of the series, where Tech put up a bunch of early runs on the scoreboard, the Hokies could only manage single runs in the third, fifth and sixth frames. Joe Freiday, Jr.’s solo home run in the sixth gave the Hokies a 3-2 lead.

McDonald, who was perfect through three frames, allowed an RBI single in the fourth and fifth, but used a double play in the sixth to get out of the frame.

In the seventh, Tech gave him some insurance runs on a Tom Stoffel RBI grounder and a Nick Anderson solo home run, and McDonald responded with a perfect bottom of the seventh.

In the bottom of the eighth, with runners on the corners and two outs, Tech went to its bullpen and Anderson, after a walk loaded the bases, got out of the jam with a strikeout.

Tech added three unearned runs in the ninth all but put the game away, while Paul Hall, Jr. closed the game for the Hokies.

Inside the box score

• Anderson: home run, fifth of his career; two hits, 19th career multi-hit game; two RBIs, eighth career multi-RBI game.
• Freiday, Jr.: home run, second of the season, fifth of his career; two hits, 10th career multi-hit game.
• Garrett Hudson: double, fourth of his career;
• McDonald: career-high seven innings pitched (previous high 5.1 vs. Radford, March 1, 2016); career-high nine strikeouts (previous high five versus Longwood, April 9, 2014); struck out side in third, second time struck out the side in his Tech career; four perfect frames, 14 in his career; five scoreless frames, 28 in his career.
• Jack Owens: double, first of his career; three hits, second straight three-hit game; two runs, second straight multi-run scoring game.
• Stoffel: double, 17th of his career; two hits, 20th career multi-hit game; two RBIs, 15th multi-RBI game of his career, two runs scored, eighth multi-run scoring game of his career.
• Ryan Tufts: started his 75th straight game at Tech, which leads the team.

More Notes - Tech

• Swept a road series for the first time since 2013 – Duke (March 15-17);
• Has won its first three games of the season for the first time since 2013
• Turned one double play in the game and has four so far this season;
• Is now 7-0 all-time against USC Upstate, including a 5-0 mark in Spartanburg and is 9-1 all-time in the city;
• Ends a two-game losing streak on Feb. 19 and improves to 3-4 overall.

Up next

• The Hokies return to Blacksburg and will play their home opener on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Tech will face Marshall for the first time since 2006. First pitch from English Field at Union Park is scheduled for 3 p.m.

For updates on Virginia Tech baseball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Baseball