BLACKSBURG, Va. (Interstat) — Virginia Tech scored nine unanswered runs to defeat William & Mary 9-2 in the season opener for both teams Friday at English Field.

The Tribe took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on Liam O’Neil’s two-run homer, scoring Charlie Iriotakis. The Hokies responded with a run in the bottom of the frame on a sacrifice fly by Hughes, then took the lead for good with two runs in the fourth. Virginia Tech pulled away with a five-run outburst across the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings, fueled by a homer from French and two RBI doubles from Grube.

Virginia Tech recorded nine hits and used two sacrifice flies. William & Mary managed six hits. The Hokies improved to 1-0, while the Tribe fell to 0-1. The teams continue their series with a doubleheader Saturday.