freshmen pitching tandem lead no. 15 virginia tech past georgia tech

Nick Cheshire

April 17, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. — In a nailbiter and a blowout, No. 15 Virginia Tech took games two and three of its four-game weekend series against Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon at Tech Softball Park.

The Hokies (27-7, 18-7 ACC) bounced back from a disappointing Friday evening defeat to beat the Yellow Jackets (13-22, 7-18 ACC) twice and turn the weekend mood around, taking a 2-1 series lead into game four on Sunday.

In game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, Virginia Tech hung on to outlast a furious seventh-inning Georgia Tech rally, winning 4-3.

Freshman Ivy Rosenberry got the nod for the Hokies and went the distance, her first time doing so against ACC competition. She was unhittable through four ⅓ innings and maintained a shutout into the seventh inning, when the Yellow Jacket bats came alive.

Blake Neleman, who pitched seven innings Friday evening to beat the Hokies, kept things close after relieving Madison McPherson, who started game two for the Yellow Jackets and only completed a third of an inning, giving up two quick earned runs.

Neleman surrendered a solo home run to Addy Greene in the second and another run in the fourth on a Darby Trull sac fly, but she kept the deficit at a manageable 4-0 until her offense came alive in the seventh.

After six quiet innings, the Yellow Jackets began to string some hits together, including a double by Crosby Huckabay that scored the first Georgia Tech run of the afternoon. Friday’s hero, Emma Kauf followed it up with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit in half, 4-2.

A hard hit ball that squeezed past Greene at second allowed for the third run to score with two outs and brought the potential game-winning run to the plate with a runner on first. After a 3-2 walk, Rosenberry delivered an emphatic three-pitch strikeout to halt the Georgia Tech rally and even the series at one game apiece.

The second leg of the doubleheader was a much more lopsided affair, as the Hokies took an early four-run lead in the bottom of the second and never looked back. They added five more in the following frame, extending the lead to a comfortable 9-1.

Kelsey Brown did it all for the Hokies in both games, but especially in the second matchup, when she went 3-4 with 2 RBI’s, scoring three times. Her average is up to an impressive .423 on the year and she continues to be a dynamic baserunning threat every time she reaches base.

On the mound for Virginia Tech in the second leg of the doubleheader was freshman Mackenzie Osborne (2-0, 2.91 ERA), who notched her second win of the year after five solid innings of work, allowing four earned runs on eight hits.

Keely Rochard made a relief appearance in the sixth inning, offering a nice change of pace for the Hokies’ pitching staff. She only allowed one hit and notched a pair of strikeouts to seal the 10-4 victory and give Virginia Tech the 2-1 series lead.

The Virginia Tech pitching staff showed off its depth past ace Keely Rochard on Saturday, with the freshmen Rosenberry and Osborne pitching 12 of the 14 innings, and each notched their own respective wins.

The two teams meet again on Sunday at noon for game four, with the Hokies looking to take three out of four and the Yellow Jackets looking to salvage a split against one of the top teams in the ACC.