Virginia Tech's Offense Falters In 10-0 Loss To Texas A&M

ARLINGTON, Texas — For five innings Friday night, Virginia Tech looked capable of going punch-for-punch with one of the nation’s premier programs. One inning later, the game had flipped completely.

“We played pretty clean baseball for about five and a half innings,” Virginia Tech head coach John Szefc said. “There were a couple lapses, but for the most part we were fine. We didn’t make pitches in the sixth, and it just blew up.”

The Hokies were within striking distance early behind right-hander Brett Renfrow, who delivered his sharpest outing of the young season. Renfrow worked five innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out seven.

“He was good,” Szefc said. “He made pitches when he had to. It’s a good step in the right direction for him.”

Renfrow’s only major errore came in the first inning when Chris Hacopian launched a 424-foot solo home run to left-center to give Texas A&M a 1-0 lead. From there, Renfrow settled in, striking out two in the third and picking off a runner in the second to erase traffic after a balk.

The Aggies scratched across another run in the fourth, aided by a throwing error that extended the inning before Terrence Kiel II delivered an RBI single to make it 2-0.

Offensively, Virginia Tech had opportunities but struggled to capitalize. The Hokies finished with five hits, went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.

“You’ve got to think a lot of these guys have hit before,” Szefc said of the recent offensive struggles. “You go with your guys, keep getting them at-bats, and you’ve just got to hope they come around.”

Freshman Ethan Ball doubled in the first and advanced to third on a wild pitch but was stranded. In the fourth, Hudson Lutterman walked and Nick Locurto singled before swiping second to put two in scoring position, but a strikeout ended the threat.

The game turned decisively in the sixth after Renfrow exited.

Preston Crowl entered and issued a leadoff walk before Jake Duer doubled to put two in scoring position. A sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 3-0, and a wild pitch made it 4-0. From there, the inning spiraled. Texas A&M plated eight runs in the frame, highlighted by Caden Sorrell’s two-run ground-rule double and back-to-back RBI doubles from Blake Binderup and Duer.

“If you’re going to compete with and beat people like that, you’ve got to elevate what you’re doing offensively, defensively and on the mound,” Szefc said. “We did that for a little while, but the game turned real fast and we weren’t able to do it, and it was over.”

Virginia Tech attempted to answer in the seventh after Locurto led off with a single, but a groundout, flyout and groundout ended the game via run rule.

Despite the lopsided final score, Szefc emphasized the importance of responding quickly.

“It’s actually good for us,” he said of the quick turnaround. “We get to come back and play early tomorrow. The quicker you get back out there, the better off you are rather than sitting around.”

For five innings, the Hokies proved they could hang. One explosive frame proved how slim the margin is against elite competition.

“If we’re able to elevate what we’re doing tomorrow, we’ll be in the game,” Szefc said. “If we’re not, we won’t. It’s really simple.”