Hokies Softball Brings the Fireworks and Broomsticks in Series Sweep of North Carolina

#14/16 Virginia Tech hosted Liberty (23-23, 15-6 CUSA) on Wednesday, April 22 for a mid-week matchup before hosting the North Carolina Tarheels for a crucial weekend ACC series.

MID-WEEK GAME:  VIRGINIA TECH  9,  LIBERTY  10

Virginia Tech freshman Avery Layton got the start against the Flames, and the Hokies were not sharp. She induced a grounder to shortstop Annika Rohs from the lead-off batter, but a dropped ball allowed the runner to beat the throw at first. Layton walked Liberty’s star right fielder Brynn McManus on a full-count. After getting the next two batters out, including a fly out to center field that advanced McManus to third.  Layton uncorked a wild pitch to the fifth batter in the Flames’ order, which brought home McManus to give Liberty the early 1-0 lead.

Virginia Tech’s center fielder Addison Foster responded in the bottom of the first by beating out a throw to first that the first baseman couldn’t corral. Third baseman Jordan Lynch singled through the right field to put runners at first and second.  Left fielder Nora Abromavage flied out to the left field wall, which pushed Foster and Lynch each up a base. 

Designated player Kylie Aldrige then pushed a fly ball deep to center that plated Foster from third to tie the game up at 1-1. After catcher Zoey Yaeger ended the inning with a flyout to center, Virginia Tech had threatened with three deep balls that resulted in just the one run.

The Flames exploded in the third inning. McManus singled up the middle to lead off the inning. Virginia Tech then committed an error on the throw to first on a slow bouncer to third. McManus advanced to third on the error. Liberty designated player Alexia Carrasquilla knocked a single that landed in front of Nora Abromavage to score McManus. Lynch could not get the tag on the runner advancing to third, and then Layton walked the next batter to load the bases with no outs.

That was it for Layton. The Hokies brought in Emma Mazzarone in an attempt to put out the fire. Unfortunately, Liberty center fielder Paige Doerr laced a 2-0 double to the left-center gap that brought home two runs. Left fielder Dani Lee flew out to shallow left field that Annika Rohs fielded awkwardly and fell, allowing the runner at third to tag. The better decision would have been for Abromavage to field it straight on and prevent the runner from moving. The Flames tacked on another run on a fielder’s choice to Mazzarone.

Going into the bottom of the third, the Hokies were down 6-1.Once again, the top of the Tech line up responded. Liberty pitcher Abigail Findlay hit Rohs.  Foster and Lynch followed with singles to load the bases for the heart of the lineup.  Findlay let loose another wild pitch up that Rohs took advantage of to close the gap to 6-2 with no outs.

Virginia Tech could not capitalize on the situation. Abromavage flew out to shallow right field. Designated player Kylie Aldridge bounced a hit to the Liberty pitcher who tossed the ball home for the tag out of Foster, trying to get home. Yaeger then flew out to center field. A promising opportunity to get back into the game fizzled.

Unfazed, the Hokies continued to battle. After Lynch drew a walk in the bottom of the fifth, Abromavage stroked her fourteenth home run of the season to left center to close the gap to 6-4.

However, the Flames scored an unearned run in the sixth and added two RBI singles in the seventh to extend their lead to 10-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

Virginia Tech rallied in the final frame for a dramatic comeback. Lynch singled up the middle. With two outs, Aldridge strong-armed a double to the center field that moved Lynch to third and put Alridge at second ahead of the tag attempt.

Yaeger continued the assault with a single pass second base into center that brought home Lynch and pinchrunner Lily Pallante.

With the score 10-6, first baseman Michelle Chatfield tripled past the center field to score pinchrunner Lyla Blackwell and reduce the deficit to 10-7.

Second baseman Rachel Castine then cranked the first pitch for a 2-RBI home run that hit the light pole past the left center fence and brought the Hokies within 10-9.

Right fielder Gaby Mizelle reached on a single to third, but the comeback ended with a groundout.  

Avery Layton took the loss to go 7-2 on the season. She pitched 2.0 innings, giving up 4 hits, 5 runs, and 4 walks. Emma Mazzarone pitched 4.1 innings while giving up 4 hits, 4 earned runs, 4 walks, and striking out 2.  Bree Carrico finished the final 0.2 innings and only allowed one hit.

Despite the valiant comeback, Virginia Tech had now lost three games in a row to go 38-9 on the season.

Notables:

• Nora Abromavage hit her 14th home run of the year.
• Rachel Castine knocked her 10th home run of the season to reach double digits.
• Jordan Lynch was 3-for-3 with a walk.
• Eight different batters totaled 12 hits. The Hokies tallied 12 hits, 2 home runs, a double, and a triple, but were 3-for 8 with runners in scoring position and left 6 runners on base.
• Virginia Tech allowed 10 or more runs for the first time all season.
• Virginia Tech pitchers allowed 8 walks and 2 wild pitches.

NORTH CAROLINA SERIES

After losing the final two games of the Georgia Tech series as well as losing the shootout against Liberty, the Hokies were in need of a bounce back performance to maintain their positioning in the ACC standings.

GAME ONE:  VIRGINIA TECH  6,  NORTH CAROLINA  5

For much of the ACC conference season, the weekend pitching rotation has followed the pattern of Emma Mazzarone pitching the first and final games of a series, with Bree Carrico taking the mound for the second game. 

Coach Pete D’Amour changed course and started Bree Carrico to lead off the series on Friday against North Carolina. She started off well, going into the second inning with only one of the first five batters reaching base on a lonely single. Carrico retired the other five batters via two swinging strikeouts, a popout, and groundouts. She was cruising. Then Tarheel second baseman Raegan Jennings greeted Carrico with a 2-out home run to right field to give North Carolina the 1–0 lead.

Virginia Tech hitters did not do much for the first several innings of Tarheel starter Jil Livengood, indeed four of the first six batters got out on two or fewer pitches. Granted, several batters made solid contact that seemed dangerous off the bat, but the results were harmless flyouts right to defenders.

First baseman Michelle Chatfield put a charge into the Hokie offense in the bottom of the fourth inning with a deep lead off home run to left center. Her tenth home run of the year immediately flew out of the park and tied the game at 1-1 apiece. 

With two outs, catcher Zoey Yaeger blooped a perfectly placed single that caught North Carolina’s second baseman and center fielder miscommunicating enough for the ball to hit the ground. Taking advantage of the opportunity, second baseman Rachel Castine laced the first stage into the center-field gap to the wall.   Zoey Yaeger sped around the bases and slid into home ahead of the day. Castine’ double gave Virginia Tech the 2-1 lead.

North Carolina responded in the top of the fifth inning. Carrico got the first two batters out with a swinging strike and a grounder to third baseman Jordan Lynch; however, once again, a two-out rally hurt the Hokies. Carolina’s Lexie Roberts hit a single through the left side.  Carrico then walked former Hokie Emily Legette and Shelby Barbee to load the bases. Michele Tarpey made the walks pay by bouncing a single through the gap between first and second to plate two runs for a 3-2 Tarheel lead.

Virginia Tech struck back in the bottom of the sixth when designated player Kylie Aldridge led off with a walk. Left fielder Nora Ambromavage singled through the deep hole in the left side to move Lyla Blackwell, pinchrunning for Aldridge, to second. Yaeger then ripped a liner into left field that loaded the bases with no outs.

One out later, freshman Jordan Bishop, pinch-hitting for Gaby Mizelle was hit by the first pitch of her at-bat, bringing Blackwell home for third to tie the game once again.

Emma Mazzarone pinch hit for shortstop Annika Rohs with the opportunity to cause more damage, but her first swing nubbed in front of the plate, allowing the Tarheel catcher to get  Ambromavage out at the plate for the inning’s second out.

With two outs and the bases still loaded, center fielder Addison Foster drew a 7-pitch full-court walk to score pinchrunner Lily Pallante from third and give the Hokies the 4-3 lead.

The drama continued into the seventh inning. Virginia Tech’s ace Emma Mazzarone relieved Carrico in an effort to close out the game. After striking out the first batter, Mazzarone walked the next two batters, both on full counts. Carolina’s Barbee then singled through the middle to tie the game. With runners at second and third and, yet again, two outs, a wild pitch allowed the runner at third to score and give the Tarheels the 5-4 lead.

With Virginia Tech facing a four-game losing streak, Chatfield led off the bottom of the seventh by drawing a four-pitch free pass. A ground out by Aldridge allowed Chatfield to move to second base. Nora Abromavage wasted no time setting off fireworks in Tech Softball Park as she launched the second pitch over the right field wall to give the Hokies the 6-5 walk-off win! Her 15th home run of the season gave a huge jolt to both her teammates and the fans in the stadium!

Emma Mazzarone threw one inning, struck out three batters, and earned the win to go 12-4 on the season. Bree Carrico pitched the first six innings, giving up five hits, three runs, and four walks, while striking out five. 

Notables:

• Michelle Chatfield hit her 10th home run of the season, making it three straight years that she has hit double-digit home runs.
• Nora Abromavage hit her 15th home run of the year.
• Freshman Jordan Bishop drove in her fifth RBI of the year when she was hit by a pitch with bases loaded.
• Chatfield also stole her first base of the year.
• Hokie batters only struck out once during the game.
• Hokie batters were 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left 6 runners on base.

GAME TWO: VIRGINIA TECH  14,  NORTH CAROLINA  5

While the walk-off win Friday quelled the demons of the previous 3-game losing streak and brought excitement to the Tech Southball Park (TSP), there will still two more games to play against an ever-dangerous North Carolina.

Virginia Tech’s Emma Mazzarone started Saturday’s game and fell behind with minutes of the game starting. She walked lead off hitter Sanaa Thompson on five pitches, could not get a short bouncer in front of the mound, and then walked Carolina’s home run leader Emily Legette to load the bases with no outs.  Third baseman Shelby Barbee then drilled Mazzarone’s first pitch down the right field line for a double that opened up a two-run lead for the Tarheels.

The skies over Blacksburg opened up as well as causing a two-hour rain delay that quite possibly was what the needed.  Coach D'Amour indicated that he communicated to the team to just get out of the inning once play would resume. The team had not even come to bat yet, so there was no panic.

Once play did resume, Avery Layton took over pitching duties with a runner at second and zero outs. She immediately went to work, getting Carolina’s fifth batter to pop up and inducing two swing strikeouts to get the Hokies out of trouble.

The mantra for the Hokies when facing adversity is never to panic. With so much game left, the Hokies had the opportunity to reset and re-start. Center fielder Addison Foster led off the bottom of the first inning with an opposite field double that traveled to the wall. Third baseman Jordan Lynch then attacked the first pitch with a high chopper that allowed her to get to first without a throw.

With runners on the corners, first baseman Michelle Chatfield also aggressively went after the first pitch, singling up the middle to score Foster and get the Hokies on the board.

The change in momentum led to the Tarheels making a quick change at pitcher. Designated player Kylie Aldrdige lined out to third on a first pitch effort, and then left fielder Nora Abromavage followed the same pattern of aggressively attacking the first pitch. Abromavage hit into a fielder’s choice that took Chatfield out at second but left runners on the corners until Abromavage stole second base.

Catcher Zoey Yaeger stroked a two-out double through the left-center gap to the wall that brought home both Lynch and Abromavage for the 3-3 tie.

The Tarheels grabbed back momentum in the top of the second inning with a walk, a single, and wild pitch that put batters at second and third.  Leftfielder Lexie Robert singled through the left side gap to score a run. An errant throw from the infield cutoff almost went into center field, but Carolina scored on the miscue to put the Tarheels back in front 5-3.

That was it offensively for Carolina. Avery Layton shut down the Tarheels, only allowing two batters to reach base over the next three innings.

Meanwhile, the Hokies unleashed a steady onslaught of fireworks.

Shortstop Annika Rohs led off Tech’s bottom of the second inning with a double down the right field line. Foster and Lynch then walked to load the bases and force another pitching change. It didn’t matter as Chatfield greeted the new pitcher Kendall Frost with a grand slam to center that gave her five RBI for the game and put Virginia Tech up 7-5.

Chatfield was not done! In the bottom of the third, Foster and Lynch set table again with singles. The theme of the game? First pitch fireworks. Chatfield took the first pitch she saw over the center field fence for her second home run, driving in three more RBI and opening up a 10-5 Hokie lead.

Chatfield hit the trifecta when she led off the fifth inning with her third home run of the game.  Her solo strike into the trees past center field tied her record of three dingers while her 9 RBI set a new program record.

Abromavage, the hero who put Tech ahead to win Friday’s game, continued the fireworks with her own first-pitch opposite field launch over the right field fence to give the Hokies a 12-5 lead.

With every other batter in the lineup having reached base safely in the game, second baseman Rachel Castine joined that club with a single to shallow outfield, setting the stage for freshman right fielder Gaby Mizelle to send everyone home early.  She delivered the knock out blow with more fireworks: an opposite field bomb into the parking lot used by the softball parents for tailgates!

Avery Layton earned the 14-5 run rule win with her 5.0 inning performance in relief. She gave up three hits, four earned runs, while walking two and striking out four to go 8-2 on the season.  Emma Mazzarone gave up the two early hits, two walks, and three runs before the rain delay.

Notables:

• Michelle Chatfield went 4-for-4 and tied the program record with 3 home runs; this was her second 3-HR performance of her career.
• Chafield also set the program record with 9 RBI.
• Nora Abromavage hit her 16th home run of the season.
• Gaby Mizelle knocked her 8th home run of the year.
• All 9 batters in the Hokie starting lineup got a hit
• Three batters - Addison Foster, Kylie Aldridge, and Zoey Yeager - recorded doubles.
• Both Zoey Yaeger and Gaby Mizelle had 2 two-RBI
• Avery Layton earned the win to improve her record to 8-2 on the circle.

GAME THREE: VIRGINIA TECH  5,  NORTH CAROLINA 4

Sunday’s game represented senior day for the program’s five graduating players. It could also  possibly have been the final home game in Blacksburg for the season. With the series win in hand, the Hokies started dusting off the brooms with a home sweep in mind.

Bree Carrico earned her second start of the weekend. After striking out the first two batters of the game on full-count swings, former Hokie Emily Legette showed why she is so dangerous. She drilled a home run to center field to give North Carolina a 1-0 lead to put Virginia Tech behind early yet again.

The Hokies have shown resilience all season and once again responded. North Carolina’s starter Jil Lingood hit Tech center fielder Addison Foster to put her on first.  Hokie third baseman Jordan Lynch then reached with a single to the outfield. With Foster and Lynch once again setting the table, designated player Kylie Aldridge celebrated senior day with a three run home run to center field to give the Hokies a 3-1 lead.

North Carolina changed the momentum in the top of the third.  Tarheel leadoff hitter Sana Thompson led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice.  Former Hokie Emily Legette then hit a hard single through the right side that scored Thompson from second. Michele Tarpey followed with a triple to right center that Foster dove for but just missed. Legette came home to tie the game at 3-3. 

In the top of the fourth inning, North Carolina’s catcher Rayna Blackwell drove a one-out liner to the left-center warning track that had danger written all over it. However, Addison Foster ranged raced over and laid out to make the catch with her super human effort.

Emma Mazzarone came in to pitch for Carrico to start the fifth inning. Unfortunately, Carolina’s Legette tacked on another RBI against her former roommate to give the Tarheels a 4-3 lead. Mazzarone and the Tech defense settled in and shut down Carolina through the top of the sixth inning.

Down a run with the end of the game in sight, another Virginia Tech senior delivered heroics on senior day.  Left fielder Nora Abromavage doubled to left center to lead off the sixth inning. With one out, senior second baseman Rachel Castine launched a 2-RBI long ball into the center field trees for the 5-4 Hokie lead.

To win the final game of the series, Emma Mazzarone and the defense behind her had to get three dramatic outs in the top of the seven.  She got the the first batter to ground out to Jordan Lynch at third.  Sana Thomas drew a walk to get on base and advanced to second on a dropped strike play to first. With two outs, the Hokies brought starter Bree Carrico back in and intentionally walked Emily Legette to prevent her from hurting Tech. Unfortunately, Carrico hit Shelby Barbee to load the bases with two outs. She then induced Tarpley to pop out to third on a 2-2 count to the end game.

Emma Mazzarone earned the win to raise her record to 13-4. She allowed two walks, three wild pitches, and one run to go along with two strikeouts in her 2.2 innings of work.

Bree Carrico earned her sixth save of the year when she re-entered in the seventh to get the final out.  Overall, she pitched 4.1 innings, giving up 4 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, while striking out 3 hitters.

Notables:

• Senior Kylie Aldridge hit her 8 home runs of the year on senior day She also drove in 3 RBI.
• Senior Rachel Castine hit her 11th home run of the season on senior day.
• Emma Mazzarone improved to 13-4.
• Bree Carrico earned her 5th save of the year.

PLAYER PERFORMANCES

Players up and down the line up and in the circle made contributions over the past week. The regular starters in the batting lineup hit .369 over the four games and, even in the loss to Liberty, lit up the sky with "fireworks" to the tune of  6 doubles and 10 total home runs.

The icing on the cake came when the Hokies could bust out their "broomsticks" in the sweep over North Carolina.

Michelle Chatfield: Chatfield is surging as the year closes, including earning ACC and NCFA Division 1 Player of the Week for a record-setting dominant performance against North Carolina. Her three home runs

• She went 7-13 (.583) over the week with 4 home runs, a triple, a stolen base, and 11 RBI.
• Chatifield set a program record 9 RBIs in a game.
• She tied the program record with 3 home runs.

Nora Abromavage:   Abromavage hit .400 for the week with 3 home runs and 5 RBI. She hit the walk-off game winning home run against North Carolina on Friday.  She is 7th in the ACC with 16 home runs and 10th with 55 RBI. Abromavage also scored 5 runs during this span of games.

Kylie Aldridge:  The senior hit a doubles and a home run and drove in 4runs, including the 3-run blast against North Carolina to help the Hokies on Senior Day.

Zoey Yaeger:  Yaeger hit .385 and drove in four RBI over the week She hit the double that brought in 2 runs during the comeback against Liberty and then struck for another 2 RBI in the run-rule win over North Carolina on Saturday.

Rachel Castine: The 5th year senior also hit .385 for the week, including 2 home runs and 5 RBI.  She launched her own Senior Day home run to celebrate at Tech Softball Park.

Gabby Mizelle: Mizelle knocked in a home run and drove in two runs in the run-run win over North Carolina. 

Annika Rohs:  Rohs hit .333 for the week.

Addison Foster:  Foster found ways to get on base, whether via hits, walks, or being hit by a pitch. She hit a double and scored 5 runs in the four games this week.

Jordan Lynch:  Lynch hit .462 for the week, consistently getting on base along with Addison Foster to set the table for her teammates. She scored 6 runs over the week. Lynch was also listed as the second best catcher in the NCAA by Softball America.

Bree Carrico:  Carrico has been named to the NFCA D1 National Freshman of the Year Top 25 list.  She has started 9 games while appearing in 29 total. Carrico has a 12-1 record with 5 saves.  She leads the ACC with a 1.70 ERA (the only qualifying pitcher in the ACC with an ERA under 2.00). Her ERA is good for 19th nationally.

RANKINGS

The Hokies are now 41-9 overall and 15-6 in the ACC. Despite the three game sweep of North Carolina, Virginia Tech dropped one spot in three of the four national rankings.

• D1 Softball - 17th - down 1 from its previous ranking of 16th
• Softball America - 17th - down 1 from its previous ranking of 16th
• ESPN.com/USA - 17th - down 1 from its previous ranking 16th

• NFCA /GOROUT - 13th - no change from its previous ranking of 13th
• RPI:  21st
• KPI:  15th
• DSR: 11th

NEXT UP

The Hokies travel to Syracuse next to close out the regular season.

Game 1 - Friday, May 1 - 3:00 pm - streamed on ACCNx

Game 2 - Saturday, May 2 - 1:00 pm - streamed on ACCNx

Game 3 - Sunday, May 3 - 12:00 pm - streamed on ACCNx

Syracuse is 13th out of 15 ACC teams with a 4-15 conference and 18-23 overall record. The Orange are coming off being swept by Louisville with only one of those games being within four runs.  Syracuse's primary ACC wins have come against Boston College, Pitt, and Notre Dame.

Tale of the Tale:

• Batting Average: Syracuse is last in the ACC with a .238 BA. The orange only have one batter hitting over .300.
• Doubles/Home Runs: The Orange are also last in the ACC with 37 doubles and 33 HRs. This is in comparison to Virginia Tech's 100 doubles and 92 HRs.
• Slugging Percentage:  Accordingly, Syracuse is at the bottom of the ACC with a slugging percentage of .399 compared to Virginia Tech's .644
• Team ERA:  The Orange have the 5th worst ERA in the ACC at 5.08.
• Home Runs Given Up:  Syracuse pitchers do not give up a lot of home runs. They are fourth in the ACC at 35 compared to Virginia Tech being 1st in the ACC with 26.
• Julianna Verni and Madison Knight:  Syracuse relies primarily on starters Julianna Verni (ERA 5.28) and Madison Knight (ERA 4.47). They have batting averages against .286 and .279.

With a 15-6 ACC conference record, Virginia Tech sits 5th in the ACC standings going into the final weekend of the regular season.  It is tied with Stanford (18-6) in the loss column whereas Louisville (16-5) is in 3rd place and Duke (20-4) is in 2nd place.

Virginia Tech should finish strong against Syracuse, but the ACC tie breakers will likely make it difficult for the Hokies to move up in the standings. Duke and Stanford have completed their ACC slates; however, Louisville plays a 3-game series against NC State, so there is the possibility that NC State has a great series against the Cardinals.  Here is a link to the ACC Championship Bracket.