Senior pitcher Brendan Yagesh led the Virginia Tech baseball team to a 7-1 victory over Duke on March 20, tossing seven scoreless innings in the opening game of their three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at English Field.
Yagesh’s performance was key for the Hokies as he retired the first seven batters and struck out four early in the game. He used his pickoff move effectively, catching two runners on base to end innings. The only time he faced multiple base runners was in the sixth inning, but he managed to strike out RJ Hamilton, maintaining a 3-0 lead for Virginia Tech.
Yagesh finished his outing after seven innings, matching his career-long start from April 2024 with Mount St. Mary’s. He did not allow any walks and set a season high with seven strikeouts, throwing 104 pitches with 70 strikes.
Offensively, Pete Daniel delivered a two-RBI single in the third inning to give Virginia Tech an early lead. Nick Locurto added another run-scoring single in the fourth inning. The Hokies extended their lead to 5-0 in the seventh inning by scoring two runs without a hit as Duke went deeper into its bullpen.
Brody Roe pitched the final two innings for Virginia Tech, allowing one run on Jeff Lougee’s pinch-hit home run in the ninth. The Hokies’ pitching staff combined for nine strikeouts and no walks—their second walk-free game this season. On offense, Virginia Tech tied its season high with seven stolen bases and saw contributions from several players: seven different Hokies recorded hits, six scored runs, and five had RBIs.
Virginia Tech will look for its first ACC series win of the season when it hosts Duke again on Saturday, March 21 at English Field. Jack Hedrick is scheduled to start for Virginia Tech against Brett Renfrow for Duke.
