Hokies Survive a Scare in the Opener to Start with a Win

By Ishan Lamba

Staff Writer

February 11, 2022

With the bases loaded and just down a run in the bottom of the seventh, Christaana Angelopulos stared down the reigning ACC pitcher of the year: Keely Rochard.

After entering in relief and hitting the first batter she faced, Rochard embraced the pressure of the moment like only she can and induced a fly out to shortstop, propelling the Hokies across the finish line.

Rochard’s calmness under pressure allowed Virginia Tech to kick off its season in a nail-biter against the Wisconsin Badgers.

The 5-4 victory was headlined by Emma Lemley, the freshman pitcher who was highlighted in the 3304 Sports softball season preview.

Head coach Pete D’Amour felt confident enough in his new addition to start her for the first game of the season. She had an immediate impact.

Five of the first six outs were strikeouts, and after 6 and ⅔ IP she ended up with 16 strikeouts. An impressive debut to say the least.

While Lemley was able to answer some questions asked of her in her collegiate debut, the rest of the team played as if they never left.

On the first at-bat of the game, Kelsey Brown reached on a fielding error, then stole second and third during the remainder of the inning. Brown, who is known for her lightning pace, stole 31 bases last year and seems eager to keep that up.

Although the Hokie bats struggled early on in the game, even trailing 1-0 after four innings, the fifth inning gave Tech its groove back.

After Ally Repko and Cameron Fagan reached base on the top of the fifth, with two outs, an Alexa Milius triple sent the two runners home, giving VT its first lead of the game. Kelsey Bennett batted in Milius with a single, and Mackenzie Lawter went yard to cap the inning off with a 5-1 lead in favor of Tech.

The score remained unchanged until the bottom of the seventh. While Lemley had been dishing out strikeouts with ease, she had a tendency to give up too many walks. She finished the game with eight, one of which gave Wisconsin the opening run of the game.

After a leadoff walk in the seventh, followed by a strikeout and two fielding errors, the bases were suddenly loaded with just one away.

Lemley’s first true test.

While she was able to net another strikeout, it was sandwiched between two walks that allowed Morgan Kummer and Ellie Hubbard to safely stroll home. Just one out away, Coach D’Amour pulled his starter in favor of the sure-handed veteran with the lead cut to just two.

After Peyton Bannon was struck by a Rochard pitch, the deficit was just one and all the pressure fell on the Hokies. Rochard outfoxing Angelopulos to claim the final out was another in a long line of clutch moments from Virginia Tech’s ace for the Hokies’ first win of the season.