Hokies Lose to Clemson in ACC Semi-Finals
On Friday, Virginia Tech faced off against Clemson for the first of two ACC semi-final games. They lost 10-9 despite holding a 9-2 lead entering the sixth inning. Let's dive in.
First off, Cori McMillan hit home run number 30 in the third inning to make the score 5-1.
The Hokies gave the ball to Emma Mazzarone in their semi-final game, looking for her to bring the Hokies to the ACC Championship game on Saturday. She had a great start, giving up just two earned runs in her first five innings of work. Unfortunately, things unraveled in the sixth, where an error got Clemson going to score five unearned runs on Mazzarone before she was pulled.
Emma Lemley was tasked with trying to maintain the Hokies lead, as she entered the game, still holding onto a lead. She was unable to preserve the lead, giving up three more runs that eventually gave the lead to Clemson for the first time all game long.
Heavy rain in the sixth was what ultimately costed the Hokies the game. 12 of the 19 runs scored in this game came in the sixth, where the rain made it difficult for the pitchers to grip the ball and the fielders were having trouble reading bounces in the wet dirt. Unfortunately, the Hokies ended up being on the loosing end of the twelve runs scored, costing them the game.
Offensively, everything was working for the Hokies up until the seventh, where they were shutdown to end the game. Jordan Lynch and Emily Leggette were the only two Hokies with multi hit games. Combined, they went 5-9, with 3-5 coming from Lynch.
Clemson starter Reece Basinger had trouble early on, only going 3.2 innings after giving up five runs. Brooke McCubbin threw the last 3.1, allowing four runs but ultimately recording the win for the Tigers. They struck out just three Virginia Tech batters.
Cori McMillan will be player of the game for hitting her 30th homer.
Tournament Outlook
Now this begs the question, where do the Hokies stand when it comes to hosting?
Well, the good news is that this is a good loss. Clemson has cemented their bid as a host after a win over Virginia Tech. I don't think that the committee will strongly value a game where Virginia Tech lost in one inning that was sparked by an error before things unraveled.
The Hokies sit at 14th in the RPI following the loss, comfortably in the top 16 range.
If you asked me, I'd guess that the Hokies will end up hosting. I'm not a member of the committee, obviously, so I cannot say that for certain.
