Surging 11th Ranked Virginia Tech Softball Goes 5-0 at Hokie Invite in Salem

The consensus 11th-ranked Virginia Tech softball team is on a roll and looked to continue its strong start in the Hokie Invite at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia this past weekend. The Queens of the Diamond faced two Big Ten teams, including Penn State and last season's Big 10 tournament champion Michigan; two in-state rivals in JMU and Radford; and Bryant. The Hokies found different ways to win, with different players contributing to a five-game sweep of the tournament.

GAME ONE -  VIRGINIA TECH  5,  MICHIGAN 3

Sometimes, all you need is one inning of explosive offense to win a game, and that is what the Hokies did in its first game on Friday against the MIchigan Wolverines.

Lead off hitter first baseman Michelle Chatfield drew a walk to start the bottom of the first inning. After designated player Kylie Aldridge hit into a fielder’s choice that put Chatfield at second with one out, the fireworks started for Tech.

Catcher Zoey Yaeger walked, putting two runners on. Left fielder Nora Abromavage continued strong season with a single down the left field line that brought Aldridge home for Tech’s first score.  Third baseman Jordan Lynch following with a single up the middle, allowing Yaeger to score and moving Abromavage to third. Lynch was also able to advance to second on the throw.

With runners on second and third and the score 2-0, center fielder Addison Foster hit a triple to center field, clearing the bases and giving Tech a 4-0 lead. Then second baseman Gabi Mizelle singled to center.scoring Foster. 

Six consecutive batters reached base on the back of four hits and a walk before Michigan pitchers recorded a second out. That was basically it for the Hokie offense. Tech chased Michigan starter Kat Meyers who faced eight batters and got only out, giving up five hits, two walks, and five runs. Erin Hoehn came in for Meyers and quieted Virginia Tech as she pitched 5.2 innings of 1 hit ball with five strikeouts. At one point, she had retired twelve straight Hokie batters.

Those five first innings runs would be all that Virginia Tech needed. Staked to a 5-0 lead, left-handed starting pitcher Emma Mazzarone took the mound against the Wolverines. She ran into trouble in the second inning when Hoen, entering the lineup after she took the mound, hit a 2-RBI homerun to left field that brought the Wolverines within three.

Mazzarone walked two straight batters with two outs in the fifth inning. After a mound visit, she induced a ground out to shortstop Annika Rohs that got the left-hander out of the inning. Once again, she allowed two batters to reach base in the 6th inning. That was it for Mazzarone.  She allowed seven hits, two walks and three runs over her 5 innings, while striking out seven.

Bree Carrico entered in relief of Mazzarone but gave up two walks, the second one with the bases loaded that brought in another run to make it a 5-3 game. From there, Carrico settled down and closed out the game, sitting down three straight batters in the seventh to earn her third save and give Mazzarone her fifth win of the season.

GAME TWO:  VIRGINIA TECH  7,  JAMES MADISON  0

Tech’s freshman pitcher Avery Layton got the start in the second game Friday against James Madison.  She was both masterful and efficient, pitching five innings of three hit ball. She struck out four without giving up a walk. 

Sophie Kleiman followed Layton and pitched the final two innings, only giving up two hits.

Meanwhile, the Hokies’ offense used more than one inning this time to score its runs. All of Tech’s runs came in the first three innings, which combined with the pitching performance sealed this game early.

Left fielder Nora Abromavage singled with two outs in the bottom of the first to score Kylie Aldridge, who was playing right field in this game.

The Hokies put the game away in the second inning. Second baseman Gaby Mizelle homered to right center to make it 2-0.With shortstop Annika Rohs on second, first baseman Michele Chatfield singled to left field to score Rohs and advanced to second on the throw.  Aldridge followed that with a single of her own to left-center, scoring Chatfield from second. 

Abromavage singled again, this time through the left side, to bring home pinch runner Jordan Bishop.  Zoey Yaeger was thrown out at second, but the Hokies had scored four more runs to extend their lead to 5-0.

In the third inning, center fielder Addison Foster hit a full-court home run down the right-field line, scoring both herself and third baseman Jordan Lynch from first. That was all the offense that the Hokies offense needed to finish off James Madison, giving Layton her fourth win of the year against zero losses.

GAME THREE:  VIRGINIA TECH  7,  PENN STATE  6

The Virginia Tech softball team found different ways to win over the weekend, scoring all of its runs in one inning as it did against Michigan or taking three early innings against James Madison to generate offense. 

Tech’s first game on Saturday was against Penn State; it turned out to be a back-and-forth thriller that required the Hokies to come back three times.

Bree Carrico got the start but failed to get out of the first inning. Penn State’s center fielder Natalie Lieto got the Nittany Lions going with an innocent-looking single to left field. Third baseman Brooke Klosowicz came up and doubled to left center, bringing home Lieto for 1-0 Penn State lead, the first time the Hokies had been behind so far that weekend.

Carrico then uncharacteristically lost her control. She walked her two batters between the second out to load the bases. Hokie trainers checked on her after her second walk, but Carrico stayed in the game. Carrico walked first baseman Gabby Gabishar on a 3-0 count to force in a run and then walked designated player Madison Siedel on a 3-1 count to give Penn State a 3-0 lead.  That was it for Carrico as she was pulled after giving up two hits, four walks, and three runs in 2/3rd of an inning.

Tech faced adversity for the first time in Salem but immediately responded. Hokie first baseman Michelle Chatfield led off the bottom of the first with a double into the right-center gap. Designated player Kylie Aldridge hit her own double to left center, scoring Chatfield and pulling Tech back with 3-1.

Just when it seemed that Penn State starting pitcher Bridget Nemeth would get out of the inning, Tech third baseman Jordan Lynch hammered a two-run home run to left-center, scoring Chatfield and evening the score at 3-3.

Left-hander Emma Mazzarone, who had taken over for Carrico in the first, set down two batters for outs in the second inning. Then, Klosowicz continued her strong start with a single down the left field line to set the table for catcher Macy Chamberlin.  Chamberlain waited on a 3-1 pitcher and then crushed a two-run home run to right field to put Penn State back in front, 5-3.

Both teams threatened to score over the next couple of innings, but each threat was snuffed out by nice defensive plays that prevented runners from safely crossing home plate.

The resilient Hokies put on their Super Woman capes starting in the fourth inning. Center fielder Addison Foster led off the inning with a home run to right center followed by a powerful blast by second baseman Rachel Castine off the second pitch she saw.  Just like that, the Hokies had tied the game.

The Nittany Lions came right back in the top of the fifth. Mazzarone walked right fielder Cara Bohner on four straight balls and then threw a wild pitch allowing Bohner to advance to second. After walking the next batter shortstop Allison Oneacre, Mazzarone struck out Lieto.  She then induced a routine ground ball to second, but Castine muffed the play, allowing Bohner to score and giving Penn State the 6-5 advantage.

Not to be denied, Hokie catcher Zoey Yaeger tied the game again with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth against reliever Brevyn Kellepouris, who was brought in to preserve the lead.

Tech freshman pitcher Avery Layton relieved Mazzarone in the top of the sixth and shut down the Nittany Lions, only allowing one hit and striking out two over the final two innings. Her performance set the stage for late game heroics when the star of the game, Rachel Castine, hammered her second home run in the sixth to give Tech a 7-6 that proved to be the final winning score.

Notables:

• Emma Mazzarone pitched 4.1 innings, giving up four hits, three runs, two walks, and struck out eight batters.
• Avery Layton earned the win to go 5-0 on the season.
• Rachel Castine hit her fourth and fifth home runs of the season.
• Addison Foster hit her fourth home run of the season.
• Jordan Lynch hit her fifth home run of the year.

• Tech’s five home runs are the most in any game so far this season.

   

GAME FOUR:  VIRGINIA TECH  8,  RADFORD  2

Undeterred by her shaky performance earlier in the day, Bree Carrico took the mound against Radford for Saturday nightcap and proceeded to deal.  While she walked four and gave up three hits, Carrico struck out five batters over five innings. More importantly, she only allowed one unearned run.

After a quiet first inning, the Hokies proceeded to methodically score in each of the next three innings, including an explosive fourth. 

Freshman second baseman Gaby Mizelle singled on a full-count pitch up the middle in the second inning to score center fielder Addison Foster to stake Tech to a 1-0 lead.

Catcher Zoey Yaeger followed suit in the third with her own RBI-producing single when she brought home MIchelle Chatfield for the Hokies’ second run.

The Hokies then lit fireworks in the fourth. With right fielder Gaby Mizelle on base, second baseman Rachel Castine launched her third home run of the day on the first pitch she saw to give Tech a 4-0 cushion. Then, the top of the order - Michelle Chatfield, Kylie Aldridge, and Zoey Yaeger - all reached base to load the table for left fielder Nora Ambrovage.

Virginia Tech’s homerun and RBI leader crushed a grand slam, the third of her career, over the left center barrier to give Tech an 8-0 and put Radford in danger of being run-ruled. 

Radford was able to avoid that fate by scratching across an unearned run in the fifth via a throwing error and sacrifice fly. Sophie Kleiman came for Carrico in the sixth and pitched two innings, giving up another run on two hits, but striking out two. Carrico earned her fifth win of the season.

Notables:

• Rachel Castine hit her third home run to give her six for the season.
• Nora Abromavage hit her team-leading seventh home run of the year and the third grand slam of her career.
• Bree Carrico is now 5-0 on the season, making her the third Hokie pitcher with 5 wins.

GAME FIVE:  VIRGINIA TECH  11 , BRYANT  1

One of the stories of Sunday’s game against Bryant was the performance of freshman Jordan Bishop. She came to Virginia Tech as a utility player/catcher and made her first start behind the plate. She made it count with a two-homer day that felt right at home with the rest of the Hokie offense.

Virginia Tech exploded for five runs in the second inning. Designated player Emma Mazzarone took a break from her pitching duties and looked to show her prowess at the plate. She proceeded to hit a solo home run of a full count to center field to give Tech an early 1-0 edge. Jordan Bishop followed right behind Mazzarone with her first solo home run of the day.

The next four batters - Annika Rohs, Michelle Chatfield, Addison Foster, and Jordan Lynch - all reached base. Left field Nora Abromavage forced in a run with a walk before second baseman Gaby Mizelle doubled to bring home Lynch and Chatfield.

Bryant cut into Virginia Tech’s 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second by scratching across a run after a series of fielder’s choices, a hit by pitch and a passed ball. 

Jordan Bishop restored the five run margin with her second home run of the day, a solo shot to left center in the top of the third.

Two innings later, the Hokies put up their second five-spot of the game. Chatfield hit a triple that scored shortstop Annika Rohs and Bishop.  Addison Foster singled to bring in Chatfield. Jordan Lynch closed out the scoring with a two run home run that scored Foster and gave Tech the 11-1 run-rule victory.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech sent three pitchers to the mound, all of whom controlled the frames they pitched in. Freshman Avery Layton pitched the first two innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out two. Fellow freshman Addyson Fisher also pitched two innings, only giving up one hit and two walks, while striking out one.  Senior Cassie Grizzard made her first appearance of the year, coming on in the fifth to close out the game with a one-hit/one-walk performance.

PLAYER STATS FOR THE SEASON

RANKINGS

The 22-2 Hokies remained at #11 in three of the four national ranking services. Softball America moved Virginia Tech up to no. 11.

WHAT’S NEXT

Virginia Tech will play a mid-week game on Wednesday, March 11, at 5:00 EST at Elon University. The Hokies will then travel to Durham, North Carolina to open ACC play with a three-game set against 25th ranked Duke, predicted to be fourth in the ACC pre-season poll..

The Blue Devils are currently 15-10 on the season, with a 3-0 ACC record after a sweep of Cal this past weekend. They will play at South Carolina in a mid-week matchup before welcoming the Hokies. Duke is 3-2 at home, having lost to East Carolina and Boston University. While Virginia Tech has thrived against SEC competition, the Blue Devils have gone 2-4.

The three game series is scheduled for:

Friday, March 13 at 6:00 pm. Streamed on ACCNx

Saturday, March 14 at 2:00 pm. Streamed on ACCN

Sunday, March 15 at 6:00 pm. Streamed on ACCN