Hokies Softball Splits a Pair in the Queen City Classic

The Virginia Tech softball team came in the Queen City Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina riding the wave of a 5-0 start and a jump in the national rankings. 

IThe team had some consistency issues on the mound and on offense last weekend, but the clutch, resilient squad. Unfortunately, that inconsistency reared its head in Charlotte, costing the Hokies two games.

GAME 1:  VIRGINIA TECH  7, VILLANOVA  3

Virginia Tech’s left-handed ace Emma Mazzarone started the first game on Friday against VIllanova. She simply dominated, striking out three batters in the first inning and holding Villanova hitless over four innings.  Overall, Mazzarone only faced 14 batters, walking 1 and striking out 8.  She didn’t throw a single wild pitch and only hit one batter, the only blemish in what was a masterful performance.

The Hokie offense struck in the second inning against Villanova’s freshman Maggie King, who was making her first career start. With designated player Kylie Aldridge on-base, outfielder Nora Abromavage hit a 2-run home run down the left-field line. It was Abromavage’s third home run of the year. 

Catcher Zoey Yaeger added to the run total in the third inning when she doubled in Addison Foster. Yaeger added to her stellar day by hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning with Foster and Jordan Lynch on the bases. Gaby Mizelle slashed a single up the middle that scored Aldridge to put the Hokies up 7-0.

Freshman Addison Fisher relieved Mazzarone to start the bottom of the fifth and finished the game. The Wildcats found a response when senior Lily St. Jean hit her first home run of the season, a two run blast that chipped into the Hokie lead. 

Virginia Tech threatened in the sixth inning with two base runners, but Villanova escaped the jam. Villanova was able to tack on another run in the bottom of the seventh against Fisher to make the final score 7-3. Overall, Fisher gave up 3 hits, 2 walls, and 3 runs in three innings, while striking out 4.  Mazzarone earned her second win of the season to give Tech a 6-0 record.

GAME 2:  MICHIGAN STATE  7, VIRGINIA TECH  6

In Friday’s second game, the Hokies picked up from where they left off in the earlier game. After Addison Foster doubled in first inning, third baseman Jordan Lynch singled through the right side to bring Foster home. Zoey Yaeger reached base to move Lynch to second. With two outs, Nora Abromavage singled up the middle to bring Lynch home. Rachel Castine hit a solo home run, her first of the year, in the second, and -  just like that - the Hokies were up 3-0. 

Sophie Kleiman took the mound for Tech and moved through the bottom of the first, but the wheels fell off in the bottom of the second inning. The Spartan lead off hitter Britain Beshears reached base on an error. The next two batters - Sophia Grillo and Hannah Greer - each walked to load the bases with no outs.  Michigan State catcher Kirsten Caravaca, who was 0-for-17 so far this year, singled to bring home two runners and bring the Spartans within 3-2. 

Spartan Kendall Smiley, who was hitting .188, smacked a double to plate two more runs, giving the Spartans the lead. Another Hokie error put runners at the corners, with still no outs. At that point, Coach D’Amour made a pitching change, bringing in Bree Carrico to face the top of the order.  Carrico got the first batter she faced to ground out to second, but another run scored to make it 5-3 in favor of the Spartans. Center fielder Sydney Doloszycki doubled down the left field line bringing in another run to put the Hokies in a 6-3 hole.

The Hokies still had plenty of time and plenty of fight. In the top of the fourth inning, Foster singled to reach base and scored when Jordan Lynch hit her first home run of the season to close the gap to 6-5.

The Spartans tacked on an important insurance run in the fifth inning when Beshears walked to lead off the inning.  After Carrico got the next two outs, she gave up back-to-back hits that brought that run. She loaded the bases on a walk but got out of the jam when a batted ball hit a Spartan runner.

That extra run proved to be Michigan State’s savior. Jordan Lynch led of the sixth inning with a double, her third hit of the day. The Spartans brought in a relief pitcher who promptly walked Yaeger to put two baserunners on. Kylie Aldridge then stepped up and delivered a one-out single that scored Lynch and brought the Hokies back to within one. 

Unfortunately, Michigan stranded the two Hokies by inducing a strike out and a fly out, and then closed out the game in the seventh to win 7-6. 

Bree Carrico pitched well over the final five innings. She gave up 5 hits and 2 walks, but only allowed one run and struck out six. However, one inning of lost focus - an inning plagued by two walks, two errors, a wild pitch - cost the Hokies. In addition, after responding to falling behind in last weekend’s games, the Tech offense could not complete the comeback. The Hokie batters had 12 hits and 5 walks but left 10 runners on base.

GAME 3:  VIRGINIA TECH  11, VILLANOVA  3 (5 Innings)

How would the Hokies respond after dropping its first game of the season after being undone by one inning and the players left on base?  The first game on tap on Saturday was a rematch against Villanova (0-9).

After serving as the “reliever extraordinaire” to start the season, Bree Carrico got her start on the mound for Virginia Tech. Villanova drew first in the second inning when it put two straight runners on the bases. The Wildcats’ left fielder Elizabeth Gray and third baseman Maddie Burrows followed with back-to-back singles that plated two runs.

In Tech’s half of the inning, the Hokies put Kylie Aldridge and Nora Abromavage on the corners.  Designated player Emma Mazzarone grounded out to first base on a 1-0 count that scored Aldridge from third. Second baseman Gaby Mizzelle stepped up to the plate next and promptly sent the ball over the left field fence to drive in 2 RBI.

Villanova was able to tie it when the designated player Ava Mahnken grounded out to second with the bases loaded, but Carrico was able to get out of the jam. The Hokies responded in the bottom of the third. With third baseman Jordan Lynch on, Zoey Yaeger hit her third homer of the season to center field to score two, and Tech did not look back. 

The dam broke in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, first baseman Michelle Chatfield singled to first base that advanced the runners and scored Lynch. Left fielder Nora Abromavage doubled to left center that scored pinchrunners Lyla Blackwell and Jordan Bishop. Emma Mazzarone sent a single to left field that scored Chatfield, and then Mizelle singled to left to plate pinchrunner Sara McNelly. Four straight hits by the Hokie batters. Then with shortstop Annika Rohs on base, Addison Foster reached on an error, scoring Lily Pallante. With eight runs in the frame, the Hokies notched an 11-3 run-rule victory. 

Bree Carrico pitched all five innings for the Hokies, only allowing 4 singles and 3 runs (only 1 run was earned). She walked one batter and struck out six to earn her second win of the year.

GAME 4: CHARLOTTE  4, VIRGINIA TECH  2

Virginia Tech faded In what would turn out to be its final game of the Classic on Saturday. The Charlotte 49ers came into the game riding a wave of momentum having won four straight, including two shut out run-rule victories over Villanova and Michigan State in the Queen City.

Charlotte’s starting pitcher Taylor Jones, who pitched a complete 2-hit game shutout against Michigan State the day before, was on yet again. She shut down the Hokies for five innings. Emma Mazzarone took the plate for the Hokies and matched Jones in what turned out to be a nice pitchers duel.

Charlotte scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the fourth. A wild pitch by Mazzarone scored Charlotte’s Savannah Nguyen from third to give the 49ers a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the next inning, Charlotte got two runners on with one out when right fielder London Dirks doubled down the left field line to put the 49ers up 3-0.

The Hokies responded in the top of the sixth inning. Tech had Addison Foster and Zoey Yaeger on base with two outs. Michelle Chatfield hit a grounder to second in a play that was going to get Charlotte out of the inning, but a catcher’s interference call put Chatfield on first to load the bases.  Nora Abromavage sent a 1-2 pitch to left field that was inches from being a grand slam but turned into a two-RBI double that pulled Tech within 3-2.

Charlotte came back in the bottom of the sixth with a home run to create a 4-2 cushion. That was it.  The Hokies managed a total of 4 hits and was just 1-for-12 with runners on base. Abromavage’s double in the sixth was the only hit with runners on base or in scoring position.

Mazzarone pitched the distance, earning the loss. She allowed six hits and four runs, three of which were earned. She struck out a career-high 10 batters, but 5 walks and that wild pitch in the fourth gave Charlotte enough to scratch out the win.

NOTABLES:

• Left-handed pitcher Emma Mazzarone now has an ERA  of 1.56 with 26 strikeouts in 18 innings. She has only given up 1 home run. Mazzarone has a batting average against of .192.
• Bree Carrico has an ERA of 1.07 with 25 strikeouts in 19.2 innings. She has not given up a single home run. Carrico has a batting average against of .192.
• Nora Abromavage has raised her batting average to over .400 to go with her 4 doubles, team leading 3 home runs and a team high 15 RBI.
• Catcher Zoey Yaeger hit her third home run of the season, tying her with Nora Ambromavage for the team lead. She is second on the team with 11 RBI and first with 8 walks.
• Second baseman Gaby Mizelle continues her torrid start with a .310 average to go along with her first home run of the season.
• Outfielder Addison Foster is setting the table at lead off for the lineup with .314 batting average.
• Third baseman Jordan Lynch is second on the team with a .419 batting average, team highs with 13 hits and 12 runs, and tied with Abromavage with 4 doubles.
• The pitching staff has to cut down on its walks, wild pitches (11), and hit batsmen (11) . While the pitchers are amassing an impressive number of strikeouts and have only given up three home runs this season, there is an erratic tendency at times that
• In Tech’s two narrow losses in Charlotte, batters left 17 runners on base.
• Nora Abromavage is batting .478 and has been on base 12 times that do not include her hitting a home run. She has only scored 3 times when not hitting herself in. This indicates that she is getting on base but not being driven in.
• First baseman Michelle Chatfield is hitting .345 but only has 1 home run and 2 RBI.

It should be noted that some players, especially pitchers Cassie Grizzard and Avery Layton, stayed behind in Blacksburg due to the flu, and Sophie Kleiman had off-season surgery. These factors affected the coaching staff's ability to adjust the pitching matchups. 

It is early in the season, the time for pitchers and lineups to find their form on the road against quality opponents. There is no reason to panic over two losses that essentially come down to lapses in one inning in each game. The Hokies have shown a clutch gene that has allowed them to respond to adversity, a trait that will help them as the season goes along.

WHAT IS NEXT?

Virginia Tech’s second match up against Michigan State intended for last Sunday was canceled due to weather.

The Hokies, now 7-2 after its first two trips, are ranked:

• #24 by D1 Softball
• #20 by ESPN/USA Softball
• #18 by Softball America
• #17 by NFCA/GoRout

Tech travels this upcoming weekend to Athens, Georgia for the Georgia Classic with two games against ESPN.com/USA Softball 12th ranked SEC foe Georgia, two against Seton Hall, and one game against Utah State.  The first game is Friday, February 20th against Seton Hall. Game time is 10:30 am. As of right now, the only games expected to be televised are the two games against Georgia on Saturday and Sunday.