Keely rochard holds virginiA TO ONE HIT IN 7-0 VICTORY

Nick Cheshire

March 24, 2021

Keely Rochard winds up for a pitch in her one-hitter against Virginia on Wednesday. (Virginia Tech Athletics)

BLACKSBURG — Some things in this world are constant and predictable, like the moon and the tides, the changing of the seasons, and Keely Rochard outclassing ACC competition.


On a picturesque Wednesday afternoon behind a masterful one-hit shutout, Rochard and the No. 19 Virginia Tech trounced its bitter rival — Virginia, 7-0.

The Hokies (16-4, 10-4) won their third straight and moved to 9-2 since their three-week COVID-19 related pause, while Virginia (8-16, 4-13) was shutout for its second straight game and has now lost eleven of its last thirteen.

Rochard carried a no-hit bid into the seventh frame, where she forced a pair of quick outs and had UVA’s Abby Weaver down to her final strike.


Weaver tapped a slow-roller to second base, where Morgan Overaitis fielded it cleanly but couldn’t relay the throw to first in time, resulting in the first and only base-knock of the day for the Cavaliers.

Even with the somewhat disappointing finish, Rochard was magnificent for the entirety of Wednesday’s contest. She painted corners and carefully mixed in dominant off-speed pitches to amass nine strikeouts on the day.


She recorded her 12th of the year against only one loss, while her already miniscule ERA shrunk to a microscopic 0.88.

After two scoreless innings, Virginia Tech put its foot on the gas for the remainder of the game. Kelsey Brown, who went 3-for-4 on the day, got things started in the bottom of the third with an RBI single up the middle.

In the fourth, Grace Chavez hit a bomb into the center field foliage to double the Tech lead. Overaitis muscled a deep sac fly to right, scoring Maija Louko, increasing the lead to 3-0.


In the next frame, Overaitis added another RBI with a line drive that hit the scoreboard in right center, stretching the lead to 5-0.

Despite the strong start, UVA starter Mikayla Houge struggled through the potent VT lineup on the second go-around. She lasted four innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits, resulting in her fifth loss of the season.

The Hokies are back in action on Friday for the first of a four-game series in Louisville, while the Cavaliers are off this weekend.


Virginia returns on March 30 when it meets the Hokies again for the second and final meeting of the year, this time in Charlottesville.