It’s 2:10 a.m. here at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, and I have a two hour drive back to Lynchburg ahead. So I wrote a quick game story from Saturday/Sunday’s ACC Tournament game between the Hokies and Wolfpack. I got plenty of quotes from coach Pete Hughes and the players, and I’ll write something up from those interviews later today.

Here’s my game story.

BY NATHAN WARTERS

(434) 385-5540

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The clock on the outfield wall at NewBridge Bank Park read 1:23 a.m. That was when Virginia Tech’s ACC championship hopes were dashed.

The resilient Hokies saw their ACC Tournament run come to an end early Sunday morning. They came back from a six-run deficit early in a de facto tournament semifinal game against N.C. State but squandered a late lead and lost 10-9 in the 10th inning to the offensively potent Wolfpack.

N.C. State (38-21), a team fighting for an NCAA Tournament spot, advances to play Florida State at 1 p.m. Sunday in the tournament championship game.

The Wolfpack, the seventh seed, is making its first championship game appearance since 2006. The Seminoles, the fifth seed, are in the title game for the second straight year.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech (38-20) will await its NCAA Tournament fate. The field will be announced Monday at 12:30 on ESPN.

The Hokies were again hurt by errors. They committed five of them against N.C. State, a day after overcoming four gaffes in taking down No. 2 seed Clemson.

Tech’s errors led to four unearned runs, one of which came in the top of the ninth to tie the game 9-9.

Hokies first baseman Ronnie Shaban fielded Andrew Ciencin’s sacrifice bunt and attempted to tag Ciencin as he ran down the first base line. But the ball popped loose as the two players made contact, and Drew Poulk advanced to third.

N.C. State first baseman Harold Riggins was intentionally walked to load the bases, and then Hokies reliever Ben Rowen hit Danny Canela with a pitch to score the tying run.

Rowen eventually got out of the jam by inducing a force out at home and then striking out Matt Bergquist to end the inning.

After getting Tech out in the top of the 10th, the Wolfpack’s bats went back to work.

Kyle Wilson walked. Poulk was hit by a pitch, and then two batters later, Pratt Maynard hit an RBI single off Rowen to end the game.

The Hokies trailed 7-1 in the fourth inning, but their bats broke out in scoring seven runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Twelve Tech batters came to the plate in the big inning. Freshman outfielder Andrew Rash, one of the Hokies hottest hitters this tournament, hit a three-run home run over the left field wall to energize the Tech dugout. Rash’s bash came dangerously close to going out of play, but it snuck just inside the foul poll.

Rash’s homer, his second in as many games, was just the start. Sean Ryan smashed an RBI triple to center field. Michael Seaborn hit an RBI single, and then catcher Steve Domecus punctuated the outburst with a two-run home run over the left field fence.

N.C. State tied it 8-8 in the top of the fifth with a titanic home run to right-center by Riggins.

Rash finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs. Domecus was 2-for-6 with two RBIs. Shaban and Ryan each scored two runs.

N.C. State won despite playing almost 17 innings of baseball Saturday (and early morning Sunday). It played Georgia Tech, and lost 17-5 in seven innings, in a rain makeup to start the day.

The odds played in the Hokies’ favor heading into Saturday night’s game. They were playing an N.C. State team that was trounced earlier in the day and was throwing its No. 3 starter (sophomore righty Cory Mazzoni), and Tech also had ace pitcher Jesse Hahn on the mound.

But Hahn, between fits of brilliance – he struck out four of the first eight batters he faced – was wild (one hit batter, three wild pitches) and ineffective in four innings of work (80 pitches, seven hits, walk, four earned runs).