Hokies drop both games of doubleheader at Miami

Tech comes up on the short end of a pair of pitcher's duels

May 19, 2017

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Virginia Tech (23-30)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	6	2
Miami (27-26)	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	1	X	4	10	1
Mark Light Field Box Score

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Virginia Tech (23-31)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	5	1
Miami (28-26)	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	X	3	8	1
Mark Light Field - 2,737 Box Score

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Virginia Tech baseball team got tremendous starting pitching efforts in its doubleheader at Miami as both Connor Coward and Kit Scheetz notched quality starts. However, the Miami starters were just a little better and the Hurricanes took both game by a 4-2 and 3-1 count on Friday in ACC action at Mark Light Field.

Coward tossed a career-high 7.0 innings and allowed just three runs, single runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh frames. Miami’s Jeb Bargfeldt was just a little bit better, scattering four hits and allowing just a solo home run to Jack Owens in the third inning.

Tech plated an unearned run in the eighth to make it a 3-2 contest only to see Miami get one back on an error and Andrew Cabezas tossed a scoreless ninth to pick up his second save for Bargfeldt, who improved to 7-3. Coward saw his record fall to 5-4.

In the nightcap, the Hurricanes opened the scoring with two in the third on a solo home run by Joe Gomez and an RBI single by Michael Burns.

Tech used a two-out RBI single by Tom Stoffel to score its only run of Game 2 – plating Garrett Hudson who doubled to lead off the sixth.

Miami answered back in the home half of the inning with a Romy Gonzalez RBI single that finished off his team’s scoring in the contest.

Scheetz struck out a career-high 10 in the game as he tossed a season-high 7.2 innings, but dropped to 4-3 this season. Miami starter Gregory Veliz improved to 5-4 with the win, as he went 8.0 innings and struck out 13 batters.

The Hokies made it a bit interesting in the ninth on Hurricane closer Frankie Bartow, loading the bases with two outs. Mac Caples then lined a ball into the right center gap, but it was snagged ending the game and earning Bartow his 12th save of the year.

Inside the Box Scores

• Coward: quality start, his third of the season and his career; 7.0 innings pitched, a career high – previous high was 6.1 (twice this season, at Pitt 3/25 and at Clemson 4/7).
• Hudson: double, fifth double of the season, eighth of the season.
• Owens: home run, fifth of the year and his career; three hits, 23rd multi-hit game of the year and his career, 11th time this season with three or more hits; two runs, 15th multi-run scoring game of the season and career; double in game 2, 14th of the season and his career.
• Scheetz: 10 strikeouts, a season-high and career-high; previous high of nine was set on April 8, 2014 at VCU; 7.2 innings pitch, a season-high,
• Stoffel: double, 21st of the season, 37th of his career; also, his 16th double in ACC-only games, a school record; two hits, 20th multi-hit game of the season, 38th of his career.
• Ryan Tufts: two hits, 18th multi-hit game of the season, 46th of his career.

More Tech notes

• The Hokies have now hit 83 home runs this season, the most in a single season at the school since the 1988 squad set the school record with 140. It’s also the seventh-most ever in a single season at Tech.
• With Owens’ fifth home run of the season, Tech now has 10 players on its roster that have hit at least five home runs this year marking the first time in school history. The record of nine men was set in 1982.
• In Tech’s history in the ACC, they have played 22 doubleheaders with 11 taking place on the road. In those DHs, they have now lost five and split six. The five ACC doubleheaders this season are the most ever in a single season, surpassing the three played during the 2013 season.

Up Next

• The Hokies will play their final game of the regular season against the Hurricanes on Saturday. First pitch from Mark Light Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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