Softball Report Week 12: Hokies Look to Bounce Back with ACC Tournament Play Up Next

After a winning streak that reached 11 games, the Hokies fizzled out to end the season, going 2-2 in their last 4 games, dropping to 3rd in the ACC. With tournament play just one hour away, the Hokies look to bounce back in their matchup against the No. 6 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Durham.

With a chance at the ACC Regular Season Title on the line, many expected the Hokies to not have much trouble against the Orange. Before the series, Syracuse sat at 24-21 overall, and 6-13 in conference play. An unexpected start kicked things off as the maroon and orange started off the three-game series on a 1-2 loss. The Hokie offense was slowed down due to an exceptional outing from senior Lyndsey Hendrix. The left-hander gave the Hokies bats struggles, ending with a complete game line of 7.0 IP, 5H, 1ER, 1BB, 4K. Cori McMillan gave Virginia Tech a beam of light after a solo home run in the top of the fourth to tie things up, but shortly after, Syracuse freshman Makenzie Foster drove in Gabby Lantier to regain the lead at 2-1, which they would hold onto for the rest of the game.

With scoring hard to come by in game one, the narrative shifted in game two. No words better describe this game than “a rollercoaster of emotions.” After the Hokies got off to a quick 1-0 lead in the second inning via a Kylie Aldridge fielder's choice, scoring stayed mute until the fifth where the Orange roared back to take a 2-1 lead. Heading into the sixth, the Hokies would grab that lead back quickly on back-to-back solo home runs from Emma Ritter and Addy Greene making it 3-2. In the bottom of the seventh, despite the strong outing, Emma Mazzarone would be pulled from the game, and the Orange quickly took advantage. Right fielder Madelyn Lopez singled to drive in Makenzie Foster and tie things back up at three a piece. To kick off extras, Virginia Tech’s bats woke up, especially Cori McMillan’s. A three-run blast, shortly followed up by a Teagan Thrunk RBI groundout gave the Hokies a 7-3 lead which they kept to earn themselves their first win of the series. McMillan’s three-run home run notched to be her 20th of the year.

Coming off the woken-up offense, things slowed down yet again for the Hokies, as they dropped the final game of the series 6-2. Senior Lyndsey Hendrix had yet another strong outing against the Hokies, pitching her second complete game of the series. The Florida native ended with a final line of 7.0 IP, 4H, 2R, 0ER, 4BB, 1K.

After the series loss to Syracuse, dropping two of three games, Virginia Tech ended the season with a road win against the Liberty Eagles (32-23). All the offense came via the long ball. Bre Peck and Addy Greene each tacked on a two-run homerun, elevating the Hokies to wrap up the regular season on a winning note.

With Virginia Tech’s last series of the season, a doubleheader against Robert Morris being canceled, they finished with a regular season record of  39-11-1, earning themselves the No. 3 seed in the ACC. Their first matchup is a date in the quarterfinals tonight at 7:30 EST against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (31-22). Virginia Tech has had nothing but success in the regular season when facing Georgia Tech, winning all three games and outsourcing the Yellow Jackets 29-10.

If the Hokies are able to come out on top tonight, they will take on the winner between the No. 2 Florida State Seminoles and the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Virginia Tech also cleanly swept Notre Dame in their regular season series back in early March with no trouble. They outscored the Fighting Irish 19-9 in those three games. Florida State is a different story, however, as the Hokies are yet to face them all season.