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Virginia Tech Baseball: Hokies Fall Short in Back-and-Forth Duel with No. 16 Louisville

Through three lead changes, the No.16 Louisville Cardinals defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 12-8.
Taylor Bretl|
Virginia Tech Baseball: Hokies Fall Short in Back-and-Forth Duel with No. 16 Louisville
Virginia Tech Baseball: Hokies Fall Short in Back-and-Forth Duel with No. 16 Louisville | Virginia Tech Athletics

On Saturday, the Virginia Tech Hokies fell to the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals 12-8. The loss knotted the three-game series, setting up the deciding game on Sunday.

Trailing 2-0 early, Virginia Tech first baseman Garrett Michel crushed his first home run of the season — a 460-foot shot to right-center — to tie the game at 2-2 in the second inning.

In response, the Cardinals put together a three-run third inning, starting with a solo home run by designated hitter Eddie King Jr. and capped off by an RBI single from Bayram Hot, giving Louisville a 5-2 lead. Freshman starter Jake Marciano, who entered the game with a 2.96 ERA across five starts, was pulled following Hot's single. Marciano finished the day allowing nine hits and five earned runs in just 2.1 innings.

Fighting back in the middle innings, the Hokies evened the score at 5-5 in a rally fueled by a two-run home run from Sam Tackett in the third inning — his team-leading 10th of the season — and a solo shot by center fielder Jared Davis.

Adding to the offensive run, Garrett Michel delivered once again, driving in two runners with a two-RBI double with the bases loaded in the sixth inning.

The Hokies' offense faltered after Michel's double, while Louisville surged ahead, tallying seven runs over the next three innings. The Cardinals put together a four-run seventh inning, starting off with a 382-foot solo home run by third baseman Jake Munroe and ending with a bases-loaded walk drawn by left fielder Zion Rose, before the Hokies managed to escape the inning.

Entering the ninth inning with a 9-7 lead, the Cardinals extended their advantage, adding three more runs. Though the Hokies mounted a rally attempt, it fell short as Louisville won 12-8.

Both teams will face off on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET in a game to determine who takes home the three-game series.

Published
Taylor Bretl
TAYLOR BRETL

Along with covering the Hokies for Virginia Tech On SI, Taylor also writes for Yardbarker covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NCAA football and basketball. He also runs his own baseball media company, Around the Globe Baseball, covering the MLB. He is currently a Junior at Virginia Tech and majors in sports media and analytics