Roundup: #18 Virginia Tech, #19 Virginia notch Ws, Liberty loses at #18 Southern Miss

Tech offense too much for College of Charleston in 12-3 win

Fourteenth-ranked Virginia Tech rallied for 11 unanswered runs against College of Charleston as the Hokies thumped the Cougars, 12-3, to even the series at The Ballpark at Patriots Point.

Five of the nine starters in its lineup bagged multiple RBIs as Virginia Tech (1-1) overcame its 3-1 deficit by posting crooked numbers during the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.

Rookie DH Garrett Michel went 3-for-4 to lead the Hokies’ bats, doubling to open their five-run seventh inning that put the game out of reach.

Preseason All-American starter Drue Hackenberg shut out College of Charleston (1-1) through four innings, escaping a bases-loaded situation during the bottom of the second inning.

Hackenberg conceded the game-tying double to Joseph Mershon during the bottom of the fifth inning and was lifted after 85 pitches for reliever Henry Weycker, who set a career high with 10 strikeouts during the final four and one-third innings of play.

Parker Ks 10 to pitch Virginia past Ohio

Virginia starting pitcher Nick Parker struck out 10 in five innings in an 8-4 Cavaliers win over Ohio at the Hughes Brothers Challenge in Wilmington, N.C., on Saturday.

Parker, a grad transfer from Coastal Carolina, gave up three runs on six hits in his first start for UVA.

Of note, he didn’t walk a batter on the day.

Junior Jake Gelof put the 19th-ranked Cavaliers ahead for good, breaking a 3-3 tie in the top of the fourth inning with a two-run, opposite field home run. The homer was his first of the season and 26th of his career, moving him into a tie for 10th place on UVA’s all-time home run list.

Griff O’Ferrall matched his career high with four hits, in a 4-for-6, two RBI effort at the plate.

Kyle Teel, Ethan Anderson and Henry Godbout each had three hits.

#18 Southern Miss 2, Liberty 1

Eighteenth-ranked Southern Miss mounted a late-inning comeback to squeeze by the Liberty Flames 2-1 Saturday at Pete Tayler Park.

Liberty starting pitcher Nick Moran allowed just one hit over the first five innings as the Flames took a 1-0 lead. However, Southern Miss, held to three hits in the contest, tied the game in the seventh and pushed across a run in the eighth for the 2-1 win.

Leftfielder Victor Castillo and Jake Lazzaro each had two hits apiece for Liberty.