Hokies Smash ETSU in first Home Game of 2022

By Ishan Lamba

Staff Writer

March 9, 2022

BLACKSBURG – If you wore an orange VT jersey on Wednesday, there’s a good chance coach Pete D’Amour asked you to play. Twenty-four of the 29 Hokies on the roster received some type of game action, including the first appearance of the season for Grace Chavez, Jenna Pearson, and Maija Louko.

That’s just the type of day it was for the Hokies, who played their first home game of the season after nearly a month since the start of the season.

Ironically enough, even though softball had returned to Tech Softball Park for the first time since last April, it left the park six times during VT’s (15-3, 3-0 ACC) 18-2 romping over East Tennessee State (4-15).

The Buccaneers were riding a nine-game losing streak into Blacksburg and it didn’t get much better for them.

Facing Emma Lemley in the circle, the Bucs mustered a first inning double from Riley Nayadley, but couldn’t capitalize on that opportunity.

Tech immediately got to work as Kelsey Brown singled first pitch and stole second with ease. A Cameron Fagan triple scored Brown in the blink of an eye and Virginia Tech jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

After Addy Greene reached on a throwing error and also stole second, Emma Ritter blasted one into center to stretch the lead to four.

ETSU then did well to close out all three outs in the inning before being retired in order by Lemley, whose day was done after just 27 pitches and two completed innings.

Senior Darby Trull would join the party with a solo shot into right, ending the day for starting pitcher Allison Farr.

With Riley Tucker on to pitch, things didn’t get much better for the Bucs.

Brown was walked, then stole second again, then advanced to third off an infield grounder from Fagan.

With two outs, Greene managed a base hit to score Brown, then scored herself courtesy of another Emma Ritter RBI.

The scoreboard read 7-0 as Mackenzie Osborne trotted out to begin the third inning, picking up where Lemley left off.

Osborne pitched a 1-2-3 inning and a Jayme Bailey homer bumped the lead up to eight.

With ETSU facing a mercy rule result, the team tried to orchestrate a comeback in the fourth.

Two back-to-back walks and a perfectly placed bunt by Cameron Young loaded the bases with just one out. Osborne walked Savannah Ricketts and surrendered an RBI grounder from Riley Tucker to pull the deficit back to six.

With the score 8-2 and facing a new pitcher in MacKenzie Dyson, the Hokies erupted in the bottom of the fourth.

Morgan Overaitis homered on the 12th pitch of her at-bat, bringing the tally up to four on the day.

After singles from substitutes Rachel Castine and Alexa Milius, Meredith Slaw made the count five, going yard to the left side and putting the Hokies back up by 10.

Dyson was pulled after a brief and detrimental campaign for Sara Muir. Muir tried to tame Tech’s fury, but it seemed pointless.

Maddie Rountree singled and Maddy Federico was walked as well before the first out of the inning.

The Hokies returned to business as usual, with a Grace Chavez double to score the lead base runner.

After freshman Jenna Pearson reached on a fielding error, the third of the day by ETSU, the bases were loaded.

As the lineup cycled back around, Overaitis advanced everyone forward a base with a single through the right side, marking her second base hit of the inning.

With the bases still loaded, Castine had a sac fly into left, allowing Chavez to score from third and push the score up to 15-2.

The final blow was dealt by Milius, who hit the sixth team home run of the day, a three-run moonshot beyond the right field wall, to bring the score to 18-2.

After a 10-run fourth inning, and the game firmly in hand, Ivy Rosenberry entered as the closer and struck out the three ETSU batters with ease to cap off an emphatic victory for the Hokies in their home opener.

While Virginia Tech cruised to victory against the Buccaneers, it may not have that same luxury this weekend as it hosts its first home series of the season against in-conference opponents Syracuse.

The first of the three-game series is scheduled for March 11, beginning at 6 p.m.