Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Setting the program's NCAA tournament records in home runs (five) and strikeouts thrown (14) on Saturday afternoon, the No. 4 nationally-seeded Virginia Tech baseball team out-slugged Oklahoma, 14-8, during Game 2 of the 2022 NCAA Blacksburg Super Regional at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
With the victory, Virginia Tech (45-13) forced the winner-take-all Game 3 between the Hokies and the Sooners, scheduled for Sunday, June 12, at 1 p.m. (airing on ESPNU). Tech is now one win away from advancing to the Men's College World Series for the first time during its program history.
Veteran first baseman Nick Biddison accounted for two of the Hokies' five blasts, bookending the game with a pair of solo home runs during the top of the first and ninth innings. Biddison, who circled the bases for the 13th and 14th times this season, finished 3-for-5 out of the leadoff spot in the Hokies' lineup.
Tech third-years Gavin Cross and Cade Hunter both knocked their 17th home runs of the season out of the yard during the Hokies' four-run third inning. Carson DeMartini had opened the inning by threading his leadoff double through the gap in right center, scoring when Cross homered to the same part of the ballpark in advance of Hunter's two-run shot.
Oklahoma (41-22) chipped away at Tech's 5-0 lead during the bottom of the third inning, creating enough havoc to chase Drue Hackenberg out of the game. With the bases loaded, Jimmy Crooks delivered the two-RBI single that brought the Sooners within 5-3, though a timely inning-ending strikeout from reliever Christian Worley was enough to strand the tying runners in scoring position.
Brett Squires upped Oklahoma's count to four unanswered runs when he carried an 0-1 pitch from Worley over the wall for a leadoff homer. However, Squires was answered during the top of the fifth inning by Tanner Schobel, who shuttled reliever Carter Campbell's 1-1 pitch to left center to reinstall the Hokies' two-run lead.
Tech tacked onto its 6-4 advantage during the same inning, receiving a well-placed bunt single from cleanup man Jack Hurley. Two batters after a passed ball had scored Hunter, Eduardo Malinowski squeezed Carson Jones home with a textbook sacrifice bunt that earned a congratulatory high-five from head coach John Szefc.
Tanner Tredaway's leadoff home run during the bottom of the fifth inning was the lone blip on Jonah Hurney's report card. Hurney – the Hokies' second option out of the bullpen – set Tech career highs in both strikeouts (seven) and innings pitched (4.0) while chalking his bullpen co-leading, sixth victory of the season.
Jones upped the Hokies' lead to 11-5 during the sixth inning courtesy of his bases-loaded, two-RBI single while DeMartini scored unassisted from first base during the seventh inning to push the margin to 13-5. Stealing second base, DeMartini kept circling the bags as Oklahoma committed a pair of throwing errors while trying to nab him.
Tech needed three arms to put away the Sooners during the eighth inning with Kiernan Higgins squashing their three-run rally by picking up the final two outs. Higgins tacked on two strikeouts during the ninth inning in the wake of Biddison's homer as the Hokies' celebrated their first all-time Super Regional victory.
NOTEWORTHY
• Virginia Tech's six pitchers on Saturday combined to record 14 strikeouts, setting the program's NCAA tournament record.
• Nick Biddison's ninth-inning home run marked Tech's 125th homer of the 2022 season, tying the 1985 team for the second most by the Hokies all-time during a single-season.
UP NEXT
No. 4 Virginia Tech will play for a trip to Omaha against Oklahoma during Game 3 of the 2022 NCAA Blacksburg Super Regional. First pitch at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park is scheduled for 1 p.m. (airing on ESPNU).
Gallery: (6-11-2022) BSB: NCAA Blacksburg Super Regional Game 2