Box Score (PDF)

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel baseball team kicked off the 2016 season with a 4-2 win over Virginia Tech on Friday night at Joe Riley Park.
 
JP Sears got the start on the bump for the Bulldogs and dominated for five innings, striking out 12 of the 19 batters he faced while not allowing a run on his way to the victory. The 12 Ks are a new career-high for the sophomore, breaking his previous mark of 10 set last year against Mercer, which was the last time a Bulldog pitcher recorded 10 strikeouts in a game. Zach Lavery allowed no runs and one hit over the final two innings to earn the save. As a whole, The Citadel pitching staff punched out 17 Hokies and allowed five hits.
 
Drew Ellis was 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBI including a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to stretch the Bulldogs' lead to three. Senior Stephen Windham also went 2-for-3 with one run scored. Mike Deese and Austin Mapes recorded one hit each.
 
Friday's win was head coach Fred Jordan's 799th career victory. His first chance for win No. 800 is Saturday when the Bulldogs face the Hokies again at Joe Riley Park. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. and live video will be available after the conclusion of The Citadel basketball game. For tickets, call 843-953-DOGS (3647) or visit CitadelSports.com/tickets.
 
For more information on The Citadel baseball, follow @CitadelBaseball or visit CitadelSports.com.
 
Scoring Summary:
Bottom 4th – The Citadel 1, Virginia Tech 0: Mike Deese scored from 2nd on a double by Austin Mapes with no outs
Bottom 4th – The Citadel 2, Virginia Tech 0: Austin Mapes scored from 3rd on a single by Drew Ellis with one out
Top 6th – The Citadel 2, Virginia Tech 1: Sam Fragale scored from 2nd on a single by Phil Sciretta with two outs
Bottom 6th – The Citadel 4, Virginia Tech 1: Drew Ellis hit a two-run home run to score Stephen Windham from first base with two outs
Top 7th – The Citadel 4, Virginia Tech 2: Matt Dauby scored from 2nd on a double by Sam Fragale with two outs