On the weekend of Feb. 21, the Tech baseball team hosted a four-game series against the Marshall Thundering Herd, ending with two wins apiece, with the Jackets’ performance at the plate and on the mound ultimately deciding the contests. The series marks Tech’s first losses of the season.
The first game of the series had the Jackets open up dominantly. The Jackets quickly took a strong lead, with a two-run home run from sophomore center fielder Drew Burress opening up the first inning. Sophomore pitcher Tate McKee led the Jackets on the mound for the first five innings, commanding the game with six strikeouts. The Jackets continued to dominate at the plate with a grand slam for sophomore infielder Alex Hernandez (his first career home run), extending the score to 8-0 at the end of the second inning. The Jackets ended the first game by scoring another four runs across the fourth through sixth innings. This led to a Marshall forfeit by run rule after the top of the seventh with a final score of 12-1 from 13 hits.
Game two saw the Jackets slow down offensively. Despite the eight hits the Jackets accumulated, they failed to convert those opportunities into runs. Marshall took over at the plate in the top of the seventh, accruing three earned runs that gave them the lead. Neither team allowed any errors, making this purely a battle at the plate. Tech had tying runs on base in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings but failed to capitalize during crucial moments. Off of only five hits, the Thundering Herd outlasted the Jackets 4-2.
The following day, during game three of the series, Tech found life again. The Jackets started off the game strong, led by a two-run home run from Hernandez, the Jackets ended the third inning up by four runs. Marshall soon got back in the fight with a 3-run home run in the top of the fourth. Graduate pitcher Mason Patel then came onto the mound for the Jackets, having 3 innings of no hits to slow things down for Marshall. After Patel’s dominant pitching, Burress hit a double to score sophomore infielder Carson Kerce, and the following inning, freshman Drew Rogers had his first career home run, a three-run blast. The torrential downpour on offense continued in the late innings. Sophomore catcher Vahn Lackey batted in two more runs. Along with sac-flys from junior outfield Parker Brosius and sophomore infielder Tyler Neises put the Jackets at 11 runs. In the top of the ninth, however, Marshall managed to scrape together three runs before freshman pitcher Ryan Johnson came in. He managed to close out the game with two strikeouts in his first ever collegiate appearance.
The final game of the series on Monday was another letdown. After six innings, the Jackets were up 7-3. The lead came from three RBIs from Burress and an error, allowing sophomore infielder Kent Schmidt to score. Marshall, in the last three innings of the contest, scored 9 runs off of a combination of different Tech pitchers. The Tech response ultimately fell short 8-12 with one final run being scored in the bottom of the ninth. After the disappointing loss, the series between the Jackets and Thundering Herd ended 2-2.
This series highlighted what could be the main weakness for the Jackets in their pitching. Tech allowed for 16 hits and 12 earned runs in game four alone. Although some pitchers, such as Patel and Mckee, had exceptional performances, much of the bullpen disappointed. Other key aspects of the team, though, like the defense on the field and performance at the plate, excelled. Tech’s defense only allowed two errors across the entire series, and the offense delivered a flurry of hits (Tech is 3rd in the nation in doubles as of Feb 25). If the Jackets’ bullpen can improve their performance or their depth, the team can become truly competitive.
Tech begins conference play against the Virginia Tech Hokies on March 7 away at Blacksburg, Va.