Sam Fragale homers again, but Hokies fall to Binghamton

Tech, the nation's leader in home runs, hits two more in 12-5 loss

March 3, 2017

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Binghamton (4-3)	0	0	4	0	2	2	1	3	0	12	13	0
(19) Virginia Tech (8-2)	0	0	1	0	4	0	0	0	0	5	10	2
EF at Union Park - 120 Box Score Photo Gallery

BLACKSBURG – Sam Fragale hit his sixth home run of 2017, a three-run shot in the fifth inning, but the No. 19 Virginia Tech baseball team could not overcome an early five-run deficit and dropped its first of a four-game set with the visiting Binghamton Bearcats, 12-5, Friday afternoon at English Field at Union Park.

Fragale’s blast was part of a four-run fifth inning that cut the Binghamton lead to a single run at 6-5. The long ball scored Ryan Tufts, who was hit by a pitch, and Nick Anderson, who notched an RBI single that plated Jack Owens just before Fragale’s at bat.

It was Tech’s second home run of the day as Tom Stoffel hit a solo homer in the third, his second of the season. The Hokies entered the weekend with 23 home runs, one more than Austin Peay’s 22 and five more than Tennessee Tech’s 18, who was in third as of games played through March 2.

The Bearcats then quickly responded with six unanswered runs over the sixth through eighth frames to put the game out of reach and improve to 4-3 with the victory.

Tech lost its first home game of the year and now sits at 8-2.

Inside the box score

• Anderson: two hits, seventh multi-hit game of the season, 24th of his career.
• Fragale: home run, sixth of the season, 14th of his career; two hits, fourth multi-hit game of the season, 20th of his career; three RBI, fifth multi-RBI game of the season, 18th of his career, his third game this year, 10th of his career with at least three RBI.
• Dylan Hall: first collegiate appearance on the mound.
• Stoffel: home run, second of the season, fourth of his career; three hits, fifth multi-hit game of the season, 23rd of his career, his second game this season, eighth of his career with at least three hits.
• Tufts: 82nd consecutive start, 65 straight at shortstop; hit-by-pitch in fifth, extending his reached base streak to 13 straight.
• Marcus White: first collegiate hit, single in the second inning.

More Tech notes

• Turned a double play for the 12th time this season. The Hokies were seventh in the country entering the weekend in double plays turned.
• Has hit 25 home runs this season, after hitting just 34 all of 2016 and 35 in 2015.

Up next

• The Hokies continue their four-game series against the Binghamton Bearcats with a doubleheader at English Field at Union Park set for Saturday with first pitch scheduled for Noon.

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