By Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Virginia Tech’s baseball team fought their way from behind Tuesday to beat cross-river rival Radford University. Catcher Luck Horanski hit a two-run dinger with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat Radford 8-7 at English Field in Blacksburg.
Adam Whitacre hit a 3-1 pitch for his first home run of the season to tie the game at 6-6, and then Radford teammate Andrew Szamski drilled a double down the left field line to score Spencer Horwitz before the heroics.
For Tech, the win keeps the team perfect to start the season at 7-0 and is also now 3-0 in one-run games this year. It’s only the fourth time in program history the Hokies have started a season with seven straight wins and it’s the longest win streak at any point since the 2015 season when the Hokies won seven straight games from April 26 to May 5.
Radford notes: Right fielder Andrew Szamski (1-for-2, RBI) was on base four times as he drew three walks. Catcher Straton Podaras went 2-for-5 with an RBI and DH/left fielder Adam Whitacre drove in two runs and homered. Third baseman Matt Roth added a 3-run homer, his first of the season. Andrew Nardi (2.0 innings), Bruce Hudson (1 inning) and Austin Gerber (1 inning) all pitched scoreless innings in relief.
VT notes: 24-3 all-time in home games played in the month of February, winning 11 straight dating back to a 7-3 loss to Temple (Feb. 24) in the 2013 home opener. v46-15 all-time against Radford, including a 26-3 record at home. Tech has won four straight at English Field at Union Park versus the Highlanders and nine of the last 10 meetings at home.
The Hokies recorded its fourth walk-off win under head coach John Szefc, and second versus Radford – the team won 3-2 in 12 innings in last year’s meeting in Blacksburg.
Horanski’s first walk-off hit was a bases-loaded RBI single versus Old Dominion on April 18, 2018.
The Highlanders fell to 2-5 on the season.
