Red-Hot Hokies: 13 Straight and Climbing the Ranks

This past weekend, the Hokies traveled southeast to Raleigh, North Carolina to take on the Wolfpack of Nc State. They swept their series for the third consecutive weekend, and extended their winning streak to a staggering 13 games, good for second in the nation behind only Marist. With this sweep, the Hokies have catapulted to 12th in RPI and are well on their way to hosting a regional.

In the weekend’s opening game, the Hokies dominated, winning 10-2 (5 innings) on the back of yet another dominant pitching performance from Emma Lemley, who gave up just one earned run in her five inning outing. Offensively, the Hokies pounced on Nc State starter Rylee Wyman from the jump, scoring four runs in the first inning and eight total before she was pulled in favor of Wynne Gore, who only recorded one out. Cori McMillan had yet another spectacular game, going 4-4 with a home run and four RBI, she now leads the ACC in home runs and OPS. Michelle Chatfield also had a great game, going 3-3 with an RBI of her own. Zoe Yaeger had three RBI of her own, all coming on a bases-clearing double in the game’s inaugural inning. Due to Cori McMillan’s absolutely unbelievable performance, she will get player of the game honors.

In the second game of the weekend, the Hokies did not have as much success offensively, winning just 3-0, but it had an absolutely dominant pitching performance from Emma Mazzarone, who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. She finished up with seven scoreless innings with six strikeouts on her way to her eighth win of the year. Offensively, the Hokies were carried by Bre Peck’s two run homer in the fourth inning. Nc State starter Carly Maxton was effective, giving up just two runs in 3.1 innings. But primarily, it was the reliever for Nc State, Wynne Gore, who pitched 3.2 innings without surrendering an earned run. She deserves a lot of credit for keeping Nc State in this game. Emma Mazzarone will get player of the game honors for her outing that can be described as nothing short of spectacular.

In the weekend’s final game, the Hokies were looking for a sweep and they took it dominantly, winning 10-0 (6 innings). Sophie Kleiman got the start for the Hokies and found success, as she usually does. She opened the game with four scoreless innings before Pete D’Amour decided to go to the pen and give the ball to Emma Lemley. Lemley continued her regular success, pitching two scoreless innings to close out the game. With this shutout, the Hokies lead the nation in total shutouts, with 17 shutouts in their 37 total games played. Offensively, the Hokies were lights out, scoring 10 runs on the back of Michelle Chatfield and Trinity Martin, who combined for six RBI and both hit home runs. Wynne Gore, who found success on Saturday, was given the Sunday start and was absolutely shelled, giving up seven runs in 3.2 innings before she was pulled. Rylee Wyman and Carly Maxton combined for the final 2.1 innings, where Wyman gave up three runs in her outing. Player of the game honors will go to Michelle Chatfield for her standout performance.

The Hokies continued their red-hot streak this weekend, sweeping NC State in Raleigh to extend their win streak to 13 games—second-longest in the nation. Dominant pitching and explosive offense defined the series, as Virginia Tech outscored the Wolfpack 23-2 across three games. Emma Lemley and Emma Mazzarone led the way in the circle, with Mazzarone flirting with a no-hitter in Game 2 and Lemley delivering two shutdown appearances. On the offensive side, Cori McMillan, Michelle Chatfield, and Trinity Martin delivered clutch performances, with McMillan and Chatfield each earning Player of the Game honors. Now ranked 12th in RPI, the Hokies are firmly in the conversation to host a regional and possibly a super regional as their momentum continues to build.