Emma Lemley, Long Ball Help Hokies Complete Three-Game Sweep of Georgia Tech

Using a formula that is becoming standard operating procedure, No. 13 Virginia Tech rode the right arm of Emma Lemley and the long ball to a 5-1 win Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of Georgia Tech. Sunday’s victory for the Hokies (22-5, 8-1 ACC) followed two wins in a Saturday doubleheader over the Yellow Jackets (15-12, 2-4 ACC), 7-4 and 8-2.

In the third game, Lemley limited the Yellow Jackets to a single hit – a fourth-inning home run by Madison Dobbins – while striking out 11 to register her ACC-best 14th win of the season. 

“Emma came out and threw like Emma today,” Tech head coach Pete D’Amour told Tech Sideline after the game. “She was close to unhittable. … Sweeps in the ACC are hard to come by, especially on the road. I liked how we prepared and played this weekend.”

Meanwhile, Bre Peck gave Lemley all the run support she needed with a two-run homer in the second inning. She followed it up in the bottom of the inning by taking a home run away from GT’s Mallorie Black. It marked the second week in a row that Peck homered and followed it up with a defensive gem, but neither play surprised her coach.

“Bre is an athlete,” D’Amour shared. “She could figure out any position in any sport she wanted to play with a little time.” 

In the fourth inning, Addy Greene and Teagan Thrunk doubled the Hokies’ 2-0 lead with solo home runs of their own. Thrunk drove in the fifth and final VT run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly that scored Kelsey Bennett, who had tripled. 

Lemley’s Sunday gem followed a Saturday outing in which she surrendered four earned runs, three via the long ball. But D’Amour was never worried about his ace. 

“Georgia Tech has historically swung the bats well against us,” D’Amour said, “and they did again [Saturday]. But Emma was able to weather the storm and still get the win.”

“Just throw strikes” was never more true than this weekend for the Hokies hurlers. Neither Lemley nor Molly Jacobson, Saturday’s starter, issued a single walk. They combined to strike out 21 GT batters, moving Virginia Tech to second in the country in strikeout to walk ratio.

“Molly took advantage of her start and pitched a heck of a game,” D’Amour said. “I always tell the players, ‘When you have a talented team, you have to continue to improve in practice if you’re not getting opportunities in games. That improvement doesn’t guarantee success when your number is called, but it sure helps your chances.’ Molly has always worked hard and was ready. That’s as good as it gets for a head coach.”

The Hokies continued their home run exploits all weekend, hammering nine to push their nation-leading total to 57 and their per game average to 2.11. Peck led the way with three dingers while Addy added two, and Cameron Fagan, Jayme Bailey Bennett and Thunk had one each.

“Offensively, our identity is that of a team that can hit the ball over the fence at any time,” D’Amour said. “I’ll never be ok with power at the expense of a ton of strikeouts, but it’s hard to beat us if we out homer our opponent. You have to have the ability to hit for power against upper tier pitching. Gone are the days where you can hope for 10-plus singles against an All-American and hope you win 1-0. Offenses are too good now. We’re making big strides in that aspect this year.”

The Hokies return home for the next 10 games. They battle Charlotte (15-12) on Wednesday at 5 p.m. before a weekend series with Chattanooga that begins on Friday.