Liberty University
3-6
Virginia Tech
7-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Virginia Tech | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | X | 9 | 9 | 1 |
Liberty Drops Contest at Virginia Tech
3/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The host Virginia Tech Hokies led from start to finish, defeating the Liberty Flames, 9-1, Wednesday afternoon at English Field.
Liberty falls to 3-6 on the year, concluding a nine-game road swing to open the 2011 season. Winners of five of their last six games, Virginia Tech now stands at 7-2 on the year.
With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, the host Hokies struck for a run to take an early advantage. After the first two batters were retired, shortstop Tim Smalling walked. Designated hitter Andrew Rash followed with a double off the center field wall, scoring Smalling for an early 1-0 lead.
In the fourth inning, Virginia Tech upped its advantage to 2-0. Rash walked to lead off the frame and moved to third on a single through the right side of the infield by first baseman Ronnie Shaban. Rash then scored hen catcher Chad Morgan bounced into a double play.
Taking advantage of two Liberty miscues in the fifth, the Hokies added to their lead. With two outs, a throwing error by Flames third baseman Tyler Bream allowed centerfielder Tony Balisteri to reach. Second baseman Michael Seaborn followed with a single to left field, plating Balisteri. After Seaborn's single got by Liberty left fielder Doug Bream, which allowed the Hokie second baseman to move around to third base, Smalling doubled to the wall in center field to give Virginia Tech a 4-0 advantage. Two batters later, Shaban singled to plate Smalling for a 5-0 lead.
In the sixth inning, Virginia Tech pushed across four more runs. An infield single by Seaborn, ground outs by Smalling and Rash and a wild pitch extended the Hokie advantage to 9-0.
The Flames broke through for a run in the seventh inning. Designated hitter Justin Sizemore lined a single to left field and moved to second base when first baseman Austin Taylor walked. Sizemore then scored on a ground out by second baseman Dalton Sype to make it 9-1 in favor of the home team.
Liberty starter Steven Evans takes the loss and falls to 0-2 on the year. The left-hander gave up five runs, only two earned, on six hits. He did not strike out a batter and walked four.
Virginia Tech starter Joe Parsons runs his record to 2-0 on the season. The senior right-hander allowed one run on four hits. He struck out seven batters and walked one.
Sizemore had two hits for the Flames, who managed four hits in the game as a squad. Seaborn and Shaban had two hits apiece for the Hokies. Virginia Tech had nine hits in the contest.
Liberty will open its 2011 home schedule on Friday, by hosting the Binghamton Bearcats at Worthington Stadium. The contest will be the first of a four-game series during the weekend between the two teams. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Joe Parsons (2-0)
L: Evans, Steven (0-2)
Batting:
RBI: Sype, Dalton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sizemore, Justin 1
SB: Thompson, Joshua 1
Batting:
2B: Tim Smalling 1 ; Andrew Rash 1
RBI: Michael Seaborn 2 ; Tim Smalling 2 ; Andrew Rash 2 ; Ronnie Shaban 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Tony Balisteri 2 ; Michael Seaborn 2 ; Tim Smalling 2 ; Andrew Rash 1 ; Chad Pinder 1 ; Johnny Morales 1
