The Virginia Tech baseball team secured a 7-6 victory over Duke on March 22, thanks to a walk-off single by Sam Grube in the bottom of the 10th inning at English Field. The win marked Virginia Tech’s first Atlantic Coast Conference series victory of the season.
Grube’s game-winning hit was his second career walk-off and his second of the season. He finished the day with three hits from the leadoff spot, contributing significantly throughout the series against Duke. The Hokies, now holding a record of 12-10 overall and 4-5 in conference play, managed to recover after losing their lead late in regulation due to an error that allowed Duke to tie the game.
Pitcher Brody Roe was tasked with closing out the ninth inning but faced challenges after a throwing error by shortstop Pete Daniel allowed runners to advance. Despite recording two outs, Roe surrendered a game-tying single to Kaden Smith. In their next at-bat, Virginia Tech nearly won when Ethan Ball doubled but was doubled off second base following a baserunning mistake.
Ball contributed earlier with a solo home run in the seventh inning that temporarily gave Virginia Tech a two-run cushion. Alongside Grube, Ball combined for five of Virginia Tech’s nine hits during Sunday’s contest. Starting pitcher Griffin Stieg went four innings for the Hokies before Chase Swift and other relievers combined for six innings while allowing only two runs.
Duke’s Jake Lambdin and Matthew Strand each collected three hits as part of their team’s offensive effort. Despite these performances, it was Grube who ultimately decided the outcome with his clutch hit up the middle.
Looking ahead, Virginia Tech is scheduled to travel to face East Tennessee State University on Tuesday, March 24 at Thomas Stadium in Johnson City.
