Virginia Tech Softball: Hokies Drop First ACC Series in Doubleheader Split Against Pitt

No.11 Virginia Tech Hokies (37-7, 15-3 ACC) took on the Pittsburgh Panthers (16-27, 6-15) in a doubleheader on Friday, in which the two squads would each take a game from each other.

Bekah Duck, who started the first game in the series, would be getting the start once again for the Panthers. After getting the no-contest in Thursday's matchup, the freshman Duck looked to add another solid performance to her first year.

Right fielder Cori McMillan, on the first pitch of the game, sent a ball soaring over the right field fence. Wasting no time in putting the Hokies ahead. Later in the inning with two outs, Jordan Lynch, Kylie Aldridge, and finally Bre Peck all earned trots around the bases with three solo blasts--on three pitches in a row.

Senior Kendall Brown relieved Duck of her duties in the circle, and she would load the bases on three walks in a row to start the second, before home run four of the day for the Hokies would be launched by way of Michelle Chatfield--a grand slam to double the run total, 8-0. Ending Brown's appearance, bringing in Mikayla Jankovic, who finished the game for Pitt.

Emma Mazzarone would have a sketchy bottom of the frame, a leadoff single, and two walks later down the lineup from Ana Hernandez and Ahmari Braden loaded the bases for Pitt. Mazzarone fell in the count 3-0 before heaving three straight strikes to squeeze her way out of the jam.

In the third straight inning, a Hokie would homer again. Catcher Zoe Yaeger sent a laser line drive, hooking over the left field wall, scoring Chatfield as well in the process and reaching double digits, 10-0.

The Panthers once again loaded the bases in back-to-back innings, and this time, the Hokies pulled Mazzarone from the game. Bringing in Cassie Grizzard with just a sole out for her 11th appearance of the year.

Grizzard needed two long outs to get out of the inning, getting forced into two similar full-count at-bats. Grizzard kept the game scoreless for the Panthers, however.

The top of the fourth had a similar forecast as the first three innings for Tech. Cloudy with a chance of home runs---Rachel Castine scored Bre Peck on her two-run homer, Trinity Martin followed with her own on the very next pitch, and finally two batters later, McMillan matched her lead-off home run with a solo shot in the fourth, tallying the score, 14-0.

Grizzard kept the Panthers scoreless to bring up the electric Hokies offense to the plate once more. The first run that wasn't by way of a home run came in the top of the fifth when Castine sent an RBI single up the middle.

Freshman Nora Abromavage stepped up in a pinch-hit scenario with the bases loaded--a hard scenario to step up into cold off the bench. After finding herself in a friendly 2-0 batters count, Jankovic's pitch would hang over the plate just enough for Abromavage to turn on it, the second grand slam of the contest.

Just last week, Bre Peck tied both the single-game home run and runs scored records for Tech. Nine days later in Pittsburgh, McMillan would duplicate, sending her third homer over the fence in the fifth, bringing the score to 20-0.

Kylie Aldridge put the finishing run on the Hokies with an RBI groundout to first base, scoring Chatfield to reach the final score, 21-0.

Tech's 11 home runs were a mark high enough for a new ACC single-game record and good enough for second all-time in the NCAA.

Pitt only needed one pitcher to work the entirety of game two, senior Kyra Pittman started off her outing with a perfect frame. Showing part two of the double header has a new shift in momentum from earlier in the day.

Emma Lemley had her worst outing of the season on Thursday, giving up six runs, and she would be looking to avenge that here. Pitt came prepared and disciplined for Lemley drawing back-to-back walks to open the bottom of the frame before a two-RBI single from Kaitlyn Brannstrom gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead.

Jordan Lynch got Tech's first hit in the top of the second, but no runs to combat Pitt's. After Castine was retired in the second, the next six batters would all be retired in succession from both sides. A pitchers' duel opposite the high-scoring offensive affairs in the first two games.

Senior Kylie Griggs ended this trend with a leadoff single to start the bottom of the third. This quickly turned into a bases-loaded scenario for Pitt as they looked to pull away from game three with just one out. The ace Lemley was not keen on that happening, forcing back-to-back outs to get her way out of the inning, keeping the Hokies close in the game down one.

The pitchers duel picked right back up, with the next nine batters now being sent down by Lemley and Pittman. Along with now three straight innings from the Hokies' attack being sent down in order without a base runner.

The slow start looked to pay off after Martin led off the sixth with a double pulled down the right field line, followed by McMillan reaching on an error from Tieley Vaughn at second. Chatfield cleared the bases with one swing, giving Tech the lead, 3-2. These would be the only RBIs in this game from the Hokies.

Lemley would try to close out the game herself, but she would end up hitting a barrier in the bottom of the sixth. A leadoff walk and then a double from Desirae Martinez put two runners in scoring position.

Shelby Frazier came off the bench to cash in a run for the Panthers. A hard task after sitting now for the entirety of game one and now checking in late in game two, but a SAC fly from Frazier was enough to tie the ballgame, 3-3.

KK Esparza sent Lemley off with a home run of her own, padding onto the insurance runs now, 5-3 for Pitt. Sophie Kleiman, who relieved Lemley Thursday, would do the same here in game two.

Kleiman would give up one run on two hits from Griggs and Vaughn for the Panthers to tack on one extra insurance run for good measure, 6-3.

This extra run proved unnecessary as the Hokies weren't able to find themselves across home another time in the game, dropping their first ACC series of the year---For Pitt, the first time in program ACC history getting a ranked series win. An impressive series from start to finish for the Panthers, who protected their home turf from a Tech takeover.

The Hokies will continue their road trip next weekend in California, taking on the Golden Bears with the first game Friday at 6 p.m., with coverage available on the ACC Network.

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