Virginia Tech Falls Short in Fenway Park With 8-7 Loss to Boston College

Boston College evened the series against Virginia Tech with an 8-7 win. Read more below.

Blacksburg, VA — John Szefc addresses the team prior to first pitch vs Liberty. | Virginia Tech Athletic

Virginia Tech baseball jumped out to a four-run lead but Boston College answered with a pair of three-plus run frames to surge past the Hokies at Fenway Park, forcing a Sunday rubber match.

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The Hokies (16-17, 7-10 ACC) wasted little time jumping in front. With two outs in the first inning, Henry Cooke sparked the rally with a triple to right field, putting immediate pressure on the Eagles. Hudson Lutterman followed with a two-out RBI single to bring Cooke home for the game’s first run.

Brett Renfrow matched that energy on the mound. The right-hander needed just three pitches to retire Boston College (25-12, 10-7) in order in the bottom of the first, setting the tone early before the Hokies extended their lead an inning later.

Virginia Tech’s offense kept rolling in the second. Owen Petrich delivered a one-out RBI double to score Ethan Gibson, and two batters later, Ethan Ball continued his torrid stretch in conference play. Ball launched a two-out, two-run home run into the right-field bullpen — his fourth home run in as many ACC games — to push the Hokies’ advantage to 4-0.

From there, the game settled briefly as Renfrow worked through the middle innings. The senior ultimately threw for six innings, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out four. He also worked a season-high 109 pitches in the outing.

Boston College finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth, and the inning flipped the game's momentum entirely. With the bases loaded, Gunnar Johnson ripped a double that cleared all three runners and cut Virginia Tech’s lead to one. Moments later, Danny Surowiec followed with an RBI single to plate Johnson from second, knotting the game at four.

The Eagles carried that momentum into the fifth inning, where they grabbed their first lead of the afternoon. A sacrifice fly from Johnson brought home Jack Toomey, giving Boston College a 5-4 edge.

Neither team scored in the sixth, but Virginia Tech found a way to even things up in the seventh. A wild pitch allowed Nick Locurto to score from third, tying the game at five while also moving Ethan Ball into scoring position with no outs. However, the Hokies were unable to capitalize further, stranding Ball and missing a key opportunity to reclaim the lead.

That missed chance loomed large almost immediately.

In the bottom of the seventh, Boston College delivered the decisive blow. After loading the bases with one out, the Eagles pieced together a three-run inning to surge in front 8-5, forcing Virginia Tech to play from behind late.

The Hokies didn’t go quietly. In the eighth, Virginia Tech mounted another two-out rally, this time sparked by Locurto. The infielder drove a triple into the outfield — the Hokies’ second triple of the game — bringing home Sam Gates and Petrich to trim the deficit to 8-7.

Boston College threatened to add insurance in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases with one out. Brendan Yagesh, however, came through with a key stretch on the mound, stranding all three runners and keeping the Hokies within a run heading into the ninth.

Virginia Tech appeared poised to complete the comeback in its final at-bat.

The Hokies put the tying run on third with no outs in the top of the ninth, creating a prime scoring opportunity. But Boston College’s defense held firm. A groundout and a strikeout quickly applied pressure, and moments later, the Eagles ended the game in dramatic fashion. Boston College catcher Gunnar Johnson fired a back pick to third, catching Henry Cooke off the bag to seal the 8-7 victory.

Virginia Tech finished with 12 hits on the afternoon, matching Boston College’s total, but left eight runners on base and went 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position. The Hokies also struggled to fully capitalize on multiple two-out opportunities despite generating consistent traffic.

Ball led the way offensively, finishing with three hits and two RBIs, while Locurto added a pair of RBIs on his late triple. Cooke also contributed two hits, including his first-inning triple that helped ignite the early surge.

Virginia Tech will turn its attention to the game three rubber-match, where they will have Griffin Stieg on the mound. Sunday's contest will begin at 1 p.m. ET.