Ryan Nelson's Two-RBI Double Not Enough as QU Baseball Falls at Virginia Tech, 5-2

Friday, March 4

Blacksburg, VA

5:30 PM

Quinnipiac University

3-2

Virginia Tech

6-3

Quinnipiac

Virginia Tech

Ryan Nelson's Two-RBI Double Not Enough as QU Baseball Falls at Virginia Tech, 5-2

3/4/2016 10:07:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

BLACKSBURG, Virginia – Ryan Nelson (Knoxville, Tennessee) led the Bobcats Friday night at English Field with a two-RBI double on his way to a 2 for 4 day at the plate as the Quinnipiac baseball team fell to the Virginia Tech Hokies, 5-2.

Nelson was the only Bobcat with multiple hits in the game, and one of just two players in the game overall. Matthew Batten (Shelton, Connecticut) reached base three times in the game, going 1 for 2 with a single, a walk and a hit by pitch. Freshman Brian Moskey (Higganum, Connecticut) went 1 for 3 with a walk for the Bobcats while Robert Pescitelli (West Islip, New York) and Lou Iannotti (North Haven, Connecticut) each singled.

Despite picking up his first loss of the season, Thomas Jankins (West Brookfield, Massachusetts) struck out a season-high eight batters over six innings of work. Jankins struck out the side in the fourth inning, his first three-strikeout inning of the season and also tallied two strikeouts in both the second and sixth innings. Overall, Jankins allowed three runs on five hits with four walks to go along with his eight strikeouts.

Both Jankins and Virginia Tech starting pitcher Packy Naughton were able to work themselves out of trouble through the first four and a half innings of the game, taking a scoreless tie into the bottom of the fifth inning when Virginia Tech put three runs up on the board to take a 3-0 lead.

Matt Dauby led off with the inning with a walk before moving up to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a wild pitch advanced Dauby to third, Saige Jenco walked to put runners on the corners for Grant Maiorana who squeezed home the first run of the game. Another wild pitch put runners on second and third for Tom Stoffel, who poked a two-RBI single through the right side of the infield.

The Bobcats got two runs back in the top of the sixth inning to cut the Hokies new lead to one run. Pescitelli led off with an opposite field single to left field before Batten singled through the right side of the infield to put runners on first and second. Iannotti grounded into a double play before a pitching change brought in Connor Coward from the bullpen. Joe Burns (Shelton, Connecticut) walked to put runners on first and third for Nelson, who crushed a double to deep left centerfield that scored both runners.

Virginia Tech added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Nick Anderson came in as a pinch-hitter with one out and drilled a RBI double that scored Sam Fragale all the way from first base. Rahiem Cooper pinch-ran for Anderson, and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on Dauby's RBI fielder's choice.

Quinnipiac and Virginia Tech will return to the diamond on Saturday, March 5 for a doubleheader at English Field with first pitch in game one slated for 1 PM.