JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Interstat) — Tristan Curless launched a decisive three-run homer and drove in four runs Tuesday, powering East Tennessee State to a 9-4 victory over Virginia Tech in nonconference baseball at Thomas Stadium.

The Buccaneers, who avenged a February loss to the Hokies, improved to 17-6, while Virginia Tech fell to 12-11.

The most important part of the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning, erasing what had been a tight contest. Trailing 4-3, the Buccaneers loaded the bases with no outs against Virginia Tech reliever Jacob Exum on a walk to Nate Conner and a walk to Henry Ferguson. Curless then stepped in and crushed a 1-0 offering deep over the left-field wall, turning the one-run deficit into a 6-4 East Tennessee State lead. The three-run blast was the pivotal swing, providing a cushion the Buccaneers’ bullpen would not relinquish.

Virginia Tech had built its early lead without the benefit of a hit. The Hokies plated a run in the second inning when Henry Lutterman scored on a caught stealing. They added another in the third on a fielder’s choice RBI by Nick Locurto, capitalizing on three walks issued by Buccaneers starter Derek McCarley and reliever Aiden Cotten.

East Tennessee State began chipping away in the third against Hokies starter Danny Lazaro and Exum. A two-run double by Ferguson and an RBI single by Curless cut the deficit to 4-3, setting the stage for Curless’ fifth-inning heroics.

The Buccaneers added insurance late. Luke Matlock followed Curless’ homer with a solo shot later in the fifth for a 7-4 lead. In the eighth, Conner added an RBI double and Ferguson an RBI single to extend the margin to 9-4.

While the Buccaneers’ bats produced 10 hits, their pitching staff stifled the Hokies’ offense, allowing only four hits. Relievers Stratton Scott and Logan Grass were particularly dominant, each throwing three scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Scott allowed one hit and Grass surrendered one hit, effectively slamming the door after the fifth inning.

Virginia Tech’s pitching was hampered by control issues, issuing 10 walks. Aiden Robertson provided a bright spot with 3 1/3 hitless innings of relief, but the damage had been done in the middle frames.

The result flipped the script from the teams’ previous meeting on Feb. 17, a 7-5 Virginia Tech win in Blacksburg. It also defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s ELO system, which gave the Hokies a 56% probability to win. The simulator had projected an 8-5 Buccaneers victory.

Curless, the first baseman, finished 2 for 3 with the homer and four RBIs, continuing a torrid stretch at the plate. Ferguson went 2 for 3 with three RBIs for East Tennessee State. For Virginia Tech, Ethan Gibson had an RBI double.

Virginia Tech opens a three-game home series against Stanford on Friday. East Tennessee State begins a three-game set against Virginia Military Institute at home on Friday.