In a game that saw as many ups and downs as a thrilling roller coaster, No. 13 Virginia Tech scored four runs in the eighth inning and held on to defeat Virginia by one, 9-8, Friday night in the opening game of the weekend series in Charlottesville.
“Coach Pete told us to expect a dogfight,” Tech third baseman Kelsey Bennett, who recorded two RBIs vs. UVa and tied the school record (161), said after the win. “And that’s exactly what we got.”
Virginia (25-12, 6-7 ACC) started freshman sensation Eden Bigham in the circle, who immediately ran into trouble. Kelsey Brown reached on a leadoff single and Cameron Fagan walked before Bre Peck blasted her 11th home run of the season deep over the fence in center field to give the Hokies (30-8, 10-3 ACC) an early 3-0 lead.
The Cavaliers got one run back in the bottom of the first when Jade Hilton blasted a lead-off home run off Tech starter Emma Lemley (18-3). But the Hokies countered with a RBI single from Fagan in the second inning and a solo homer from Bennett in the fifth.
With a 5-1 lead in the middle of the fifth, it looked like the game might be over. But a few UVa singles followed by a booted grounder plated one run. Soon after, pinch hitter Tori Gilbert blasted a three-run homer to tie the game at five.
Virginia Tech threatened in the seventh from the jump. Jayme Bailey doubled and Addy Greene singled to put runners on first and third with no outs. But after UVa changed pitchers and inserted Jenny Bressler, a line drive by Rachel Castine was snagged by first baseman Gabby Baylog on the bag, which led to an easy double play. Bennett walked, putting runners on the corners once again, but Bressler struck out Meredith Slaw to end the inning.
In the eighth inning, the Hokies took control of the game once again. Another single by Brown and a walk by Fagan set the stage for Peck to drive in both with a double down the left field line. Bailey brought home Peck with a RBI single and Bennett tied the career RBI record with a sacrifice fly that plated Bailey. With three outs remaining, they had a four-run cushion, 9-5.
But the seemingly safe lead entering the bottom of the eight proved to be anything but secure. A hit batter and a single set the stage for another pinch hit three-run homer for the Cavaliers, this one by Shelby Barbee. In a flash, it was a 9-8 game.
With two outs, Jade Hylton singled and stole second, putting the tying run in scoring position. Lemley induced a groundout to seal the Hokies’ win in extra innings.
Lemley, who threw 152 pitches to record her conference-best 19th complete game of the season, admitted that she “was running on fumes” in the eighth inning. Despite that, she recorded her eighth and final strikeout of the night in that frame.
Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour shared that he considered taking Lemley out, but “thought she could get one more out,” and the VT sophomore rewarded her coach’s confidence.
“Wins are wins, especially in conference against our biggest rival,” D’Amour told Tech Sideline. “We competed well offensively against pretty good pitching. Emma gave us a chance as she always does. She just needs to get a little cleaner as the weekend goes on.”
Brown was 4-for-4 with a stolen base on Friday in the victory. On top of that, the Hokies recorded 15 hits in the game, which tied a season high. In their last four outings, they’ve scored 43 runs.
The win gives the Hokies a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series in the Commonwealth Clash, which continues Friday with a game scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
“We had a great contingent of Hokie fans in town today,” D’Amour said. “We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the park tomorrow.”
Box Score: No. 13 Virginia Tech 9, Virginia 8 (Eight innings)
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Quick Q? Why doesn’t our catcher present a “target” for our pitchers & frame the pitch ? Her glove is on ground most times before the pitch?
Glad to see K Brown in the lineup! Setting the table! Go Hokies!
Chip – Nice meeting you yesterday, and enjoyed chatting with you during the game. Hokie Nation needs more positive fans like you!!
The hitting was great yesterday and the Hokie crowd was loud. Good job Chip!