The Virginia Tech baseball team clinched a dramatic 6-5 victory against Pitt on April 19, securing their second Atlantic Coast Conference home series of the season at English Field. The Hokies came from behind, relying on late-inning home runs by Owen Petrich in the seventh and Hudson Lutterman in the ninth to claim the win.
This game held importance for Virginia Tech as it brought their record to an even 19-19 overall and improved their conference standing to 9-12. The outcome also marked their fourth walk-off hit of the season and their second by home run.
Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Ethan Gibson sparked a rally with a double, followed by aggressive base running that set up runners at first and third. After Sam Gates struck out for the second out, Petrich delivered a pivotal three-run homer estimated at 421 feet to center field, giving Virginia Tech its first lead since early innings. Petrich’s performance included four RBIs—a season high—and he had previously contributed with a sacrifice fly.
Pitt responded in the ninth inning when Joey Baran tied the game with an RBI double after an initial foul ball call was upheld by video review. However, Lutterman led off Virginia Tech’s half of the ninth by hitting a walk-off home run over left field on his fifth pitch faced from reliever Andrew Luczak. This sealed another close finish for the Hokies.
Willie Hurt played a key role throughout, reaching base in all four plate appearances and recording his first career stolen base while extending his hitting streak to six games. On pitching duties, Preston Crowl provided three scoreless relief innings before Brendan Yagesh and Luke Craytor closed out crucial moments late in the game.
Looking ahead, Virginia Tech will resume its season series against VCU with an away game scheduled for Tuesday, April 21 at The Diamond in Richmond.
