Taylor Luciani's Career-High Seven Innings Leads QU Baseball Past Virginia Tech, 4-2

Sunday, March 6

Blacksburg, VA

12 PM

Quinnipiac University

4-4

Virginia Tech

8-4

Quinnipiac

Virginia Tech

Taylor Luciani's Career-High Seven Innings Leads QU Baseball Past Virginia Tech, 4-2

3/6/2016 7:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

BLACKSBURG, Virginia – Sophomore starting pitcher Taylor Luciani (Berlin, Connecticut) tossed a career-high seven strong innings on Sunday afternoon as the Quinnipiac baseball team picked up a 4-2 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies at English Field.

Quinnipiac's victory against Virginia Tech was their first against an ACC opponent since knocking off the University of Virginia, 13-11, on March 8, 2004.

The Bobcats improved to 4-4 on the season as they snapped their three-game losing streak while the Hokies fall to 8-4 on the season as their six-game winning streak comes to an end.

Luciani's outing was his second straight start with at least six innings pitched as the Bobcats' right-hander picked up his second victory of the season. He lowered his season ERA to 2.77 with the win as he allowed two earned runs and scattered five hits in the start. After allowing two runs on four hits in the bottom of the first inning, Luciani settled down to scatter three hits over his final six innings of work.

Junior Alex Vargas (New York, New York) came on in relief for the final two innings of the game to pick up his second save of the season with a pair of strikeouts.

Once again, Lou Iannotti (North Haven, Connecticut) led the Bobcats offensively with a 2 for 4 showing at the plate as he belted his first double of the season. Iannotti also scored a run and drove in a run for the Bobcats. The multiple-hit game was already Iannotti's third of the season as he extended his team-best hitting streak to eight games.

Rob Pescitelli (West Islip, New York) recorded his first triple of the season on Sunday afternoon for his only hit of the day to extend his on-base streak to eight games. Matthew Batten (Shelton, Connecticut) singled and scored two runs and both Ryan Nelson (Knoxville, Tennessee) and Brian Moskey (Higganum, Connecticut) singled in the win for the Bobcats.

Quinnipiac jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, their seventh run in the first inning of games this season. Pescitelli tripled down the right field line to lead off the game but was gunned out at home after Julius Saporito (Manalapan, New Jersey) reached on a fielder's choice. Batten reached on a fielder's choice as Saporito was forced out at second before Iannotti ripped a double that scored Batten all the way from first base.

The Hokies answered right back with two runs in the bottom of the first inning to jump out to a 2-1 lead. Ryan Tufts singled through the left side with one out in the inning and moved up to second on Tom Stoffel's single through the right side. Phil Sciretta worked a walk to load up the bases before Max Ponzurick singled up the middle to score both Tufts and Stoffel.

The Bobcats trailed until the top of the fourth inning when they scored a pair of runs and took the lead for good. Iannotti singled to left to lead off the inning and advanced to second on Joe Burns' (Shelton, Connecticut) sacrifice bunt, where Burns reached base safely on a field error. Another bunt from Nelson advanced Iannotti and Burns into scoring position where Ben Gibson (Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts) lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Iannotti. Burns came home to score on the next play as Moskey reached on a throwing error to give the Bobcats a 3-2 lead.

Batten added another run in the top of the eighth inning after reaching base on a two-out single. He stole second before coming home to score when Iannotti reached first base on a throwing error by Virginia Tech third baseman, Sam Fragale.

The Quinnipiac baseball team will return to action on March 11, 2016 at 6:30 PM when they take on the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles in Fort Meyers, Florida to open up an eight game road trip in Florida for spring break. The Bobcats will then face the Eagles in a doubleheader beginning at 1 PM on Saturday, March 12 before wrapping up the series on Sunday, March 13 at 12 PM.