Virginia Tech Hokies Win Series Against UNC

Prior to their conference meeting with the North Carolina Tar Heels, this past weekend, the No. 13 (USA Today/Coaches Poll) / No. 15 (ESPN.com/USA Softball) Virginia Tech Hokies played host to Mount Saint Mary’s for a double header. The first game was a close matchup, but VT squeaked out the win, 6-5, before mercy ruling The Mount, 10-2, during the second game of the day. Last week the Hokies also mercy-ruled the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs, in Boiling Springs, NC, with a score of 15-3. This past weekend Virginia Tech traveled to Chapel Hill, NC, for their second conference series and first away ACC series.

Sophomore pitcher, Emma Lemley, on the back of ten Tar Heel batter strike outs, earned her 11^th win of the season when VT snuffed North Carolina, 4-1. Emma Ritter, Bre Peck, and Emma Jackson all homered. Ritter got the RBI for Teagan Thrunk’s run.

Virginia Tech’s second game of the series saw two firsts of the season happen. It was the first time, this year, that the Hokies have been shut out, and it is also their first ACC loss of the season. UNC pitcher, Lilli Backes, blanked VT over seven innings. The Hokies own Lyndsey Grein took the loss, allowing ten total hits and four runs. The normally active Virginia Tech bats were silenced with only three hits. The Tar Heels tied the series, 1-1, with a 4-0 shutout of VT.

Not a team to dwell on the past, the Hokies started fast on Sunday, jumping out to a 3-0 lead during the top of the first. Lemley struck out 12 Tar Heel batters while Ritter, Jackson, and Addy Greene scored for VT. Lemley only allowed one run, on the day, and the Hokies took the series, 2-1, with a 3-1 victory.

After the past week of effort the Virginia Tech Hokies lead the country in number of homeruns hit (48) and average homeruns per game (2.00). Emma Lemley won her third straight ACC Pitcher of the Week, and VT improves to 19-5 (0.79) overall with a record of 5-1 (0.83) in the conference. Their game against Appalachian State, originally scheduled for today, has been cancelled. This weekend the Fighting Gobblers head down to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets!

GO HOKIES!!!