Wake Forest Athletics
Virginia Tech Defeats Siena, 11-5
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 29, 1999
By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Virginia Tech's bats finally came alive in the NCAA baseball tournament, rallying for nine runs in the final two innings to beat Siena 11-5 Saturday.
The loss eliminated the fourth-seeded Saints (34-22) in their first-ever NCAA appearance, while the Hokies (42-16) advanced to Saturday's late game in the loser's bracket against the loser in the Wake Forest-Richmond game.
The Hokies came into the tournament hitting .322, but scored only three runs in an opening-round loss to Richmond on Friday and trailed 3-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh before breaking the game open.
Barry Gauch's RBI double started the four-run seventh inning rally - his second clutch hit of the day from the No. 5 slot. Coming into the inning, Virginia Tech's No. 3, 4 and 5 hitters had gone a combined 1-for-19.
"To be honest, I was thinking we can't do any worse," Gauch said when asked if the pressure started building as the Hokies trailed underdog Siena late. "We hadn't really even hit a ball hard in two days. There was only one way to go and that was up - swing hard and hope you hit it."
The Saints closed to 6-5 a half-inning later on Mike Ostrander's two-run pinch-hit homer to make Virginia Tech coach Chuck Hartman a little nervous.
"If you would have been down here with something on my heart when we were only one up you would have probably known it was a pretty close game," said Hartman.
John West's grand slam in the bottom of the eighth clinched it for the Hokies, who banged out 15 hits and got a solid starting effort from No. 4 starter Jason Beale, who allowed three runs in 6 2-3 innings.
Hartman said he gambled by saving No. 2 starter Larry Bowles for later Saturday.
"We got on the bus last evening and I said, Players, we didn't come down here to make a good showing or finish third or second, we came down here to win,"' said Hartman. "I said, We're rolling the dice.' Now, we feel like we've got two real good guys to try to get to that final game."
