Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 9-7 on Mar. 27 in the first game of a three-game baseball series, with freshman Teddy Tokheim hitting two home runs, including a decisive three-run shot in the eighth inning.
The win brings Stanford’s record to 12-12 overall and extends its winning streak to five games. The team now holds a conference record of 2-5, while Virginia Tech falls to an identical overall record but sits at 4-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Tokheim played a central role in the victory, going 3-for-4 at bat and driving in five runs. Each of Stanford’s top three hitters—Rintaro Sasaki, Tokheim, and Charlie Bates—homered during the game. The trio combined for seven hits, four home runs, seven runs scored, and eight RBIs. All three are now tied for the team lead with eight home runs each.
Bates has homered in four consecutive games while Tokheim has done so in his last three appearances. Sasaki contributed by drawing a walk to start the game before Tokheim gave Stanford an early lead with his first homer. Sasaki later reclaimed the lead for Stanford with his own eighth home run of the season at the start of the third inning.
After several lead changes throughout the middle innings, Stanford broke through with five runs on four hits during an explosive eighth inning rally that included Sasaki’s game-tying double followed by Tokheim’s go-ahead homer. Senior Trevor Moore secured his first save of the season by striking out all four batters he faced over one and one-third innings pitched.
Senior Toran O’Harran earned his second win after delivering two and one-third scoreless innings from relief. The teams will continue their series on Saturday with a noon Pacific Time start.
