Virginia Tech Drops 9-4 To Cal In Game 3

Berkley, CA. — A five-run second inning from Cal was enough to squeeze by the Hokies and prevent a series sweep.

Cal (24-23, 8-16 ACC) tallied together eight hits — highlighted by a pair of multi-run homers from lead-off batter Hideki Prather — and got a strong start from Ethan Foley (6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 K).

Virginia Tech (25-21, 13-14 ACC) put together eight hits, including a two-hit day from Owen Petrich and a pair of home runs from Henry Cooke and Sam Grube.

𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙥 ... 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙜 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨#Hokies 🦃⚾️ pic.twitter.com/TT6N4d9pjc
— Virginia Tech Baseball (@HokiesBaseball) May 3, 2026

The Golden Bears struck first in the desicive second inning, where a lead-off hit and walk put a runner in scoring position with zero outs, where Brady Errecart laced an RBI single to put runners on the corners.

An RBI sac bunt followed by a single put a pair of runners on for Hideki Prather, who launched a three-run homer over the centerfield wall, putting Cal up 5-0 early.

The Hokies didn't go away fast, though.

Treyson Hughes singled to opposite field to lead-off the third inning and turn the lineup back over to the top, where Sam Grube crushed a two-run shot to right field, cutting into the Cal lead.

Ethan Gibson kept the line moving with a double, but the next three batters went down looking, not allowing Virginia Tech to add on.

The crushing blow came in the bottom of the fourth, where a two-out walk from Gannon Snyder was followed by Hideki Prather's second home run of the afternoon, this time sending it over the left field wall and extending the Cal lead back to five.

Once again, the Hokies made a small response in the top of the fifth.

After a pair of quick outs from Sam Grube and Ethan Gibson, Henry Cooke knocked a two-out solo home run to center field, bringing the Hokies within 4.

That's the closest they'd get for the rest of the game.

The game went scoreless through the top of the eighth, but the bottom half was a different story.

When needing insurance, the Golden Bears cashed in.

With Brendan Yagesh on the mound, Ethan Kodama poked a single into shallow right field along with an error from Sam Grube in right field plated a pair of runs, one of which was credited for an RBI.

In their last chance, the Hokies loaded the bases with two outs, allowing for a wild pitch to score Willie Hurt.

That was all that the Hokies would get, falling short 9-4.

With the loss, the Hokies' goal of 15 ACC wins is still manageable, but the pressure is on.

They have four non-conference games remaining between now and their final ACC series against Clemson, where they will almost certainly need to go undefeated throughout that stretch.

Against Clemson, the Hokies would need to win two-of-three to reach their 15 win goal.

No less, this series was very favorable for the Hokies, who moved up two places in the RPI to No. 36 and sitting very firmly on the bubble of the NCAA tournament.

Virginia Tech will face off against Liberty on Wednesday evening.

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