After losing its first two games of the season on Saturday, No. 17/21 Virginia Tech softball rebounded against Illinois State on Sunday, winning 6-0.
“I liked how we responded today after being punched in the nose last night,” Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour said. “We were ready to play today.”
The Hokies (7-2-1) scored all of their runs in the first two innings. Center fielder Emma Ritter knocked a lead-off home run in the bottom of the first to give Tech a lead, while catcher Kylie Aldridge and second baseman Cameron Fagan hit homers of their own in the second to pad it. Eight Hokies players reached base during the first two frames.
Shortstop Rachel Castine was not in the lineup after being hit by a pitch and exiting Saturday night’s game against Grand Canyon. A timeline for her return is unknown.
Freshman pitcher Emma Mazzarone took the circle for the first four innings, allowing no runs, three hits and three walks. She struck out two of the 17 batters she faced while picking up the win. Across her first four collegiate appearances, she has yet to allow more than two runs in a game.
More experienced arm Emma Lemley collected the save in three innings. She allowed no hits and two walks while striking out six of the 10 batters she faced. Lemley struggled the night before against Grand Canyon — allowing six runs in two innings — but showed flashes of her typical dominance on Sunday.
Tech rocked Redbirds (0-10) starter Hannah Meeks. In 1 ⅔ innings, Meeks allowed four hits — all of which were homers — and three walks. Paige McLeod took over for the next 4 ⅓ frames and limited the Hokies’ offense, but the damage was already done.
“We saw this weekend that when we play under control, we’re a really dangerous team,” D’Amour said. “We just have to keep improving.”
Two-thirds of the way through the Hokies’ weekend non-conference schedule, they have faced a plethora of strong opponents. Cal and Grand Canyon — Tech’s two blemishes — advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2023. Auburn — who Tech beat and tied a week ago — is also a postseason team. The Hokies are playing against other strong, experienced opponents, who they might see again in May, which D’Amour believes is a learning opportunity.
“Pre-conference tournaments are valuable for a multitude of reasons,” D’Amour said. “We had a good schedule out here and played some potential postseason programs. Playing these types of games will prepare us for our ACC schedule.”
The Hokies will travel to Athens, Ga., to play other strong opponents — including No. 4 Georgia — in a week. In the meantime, they will host their first game of the season in Blacksburg on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET against Elon.
Box Score: Virginia Tech 6, Illinois State 0
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Think this team will go as far as the pitching will take them.
Keep it going ladies! Lets take the Bulldogs on a leash for a walk….behind the woodshed!