liberty stuns no. 19 virginia tech on walk-off win

Nick Cheshire

April 28, 2021

Virginia Tech stands for the national anthem against Notre Dame on April 25. (Virginia Tech Athletics)

LYNCHBURG, Va. — On a warm spring evening at Kamphuis Field, Liberty stormed back late behind a pair of Caroline Hudson home runs to shock Keely Rochard and No. 19 Virginia Tech.


Liberty (34-12, 13-2 A SUN) won its 13th straight game in dramatic late-inning fashion, demoralizing Virginia Tech (28-12, 19-11 ACC) and handing the Hokies their first non-conference loss of the year and fifth game in a row.


Virginia Tech built a cushion in the early innings on a pair of home runs. In the top of the second, a walk to Emma Ritter put a runner on for Mackenzie Lawter, who drove her in with a two-run shot.


In the third, Alexa Milius stretched the VT lead with a long ball over the right-center wall, extending the advantage to 3-0.


Still 3-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Rochard and the Hokies had the Flames on the ropes, down to their final two outs. A hit-by-pitch and a single right put runners on the corners for Hudson, who delivered a three-run bomb well over the fence in left-center field.


After a scoreless eighth, Karlie Keeney (13-4, 2.39 ERA) shut down the Hokies once again in the top of the ninth. Keeney was fantastic in relief for the Flames, going 6 and ⅔ innings scoreless, only allowing three hits and recording the win.


The bottom of the ninth began with an uncharacteristic four-pitch walk from Rochard, putting the winning run at first base and bringing Hudson to the plate. Once again, she launched a Rochard fastball deep, this time to straight-away center, glancing off the top of the wall for a two-run walk-off home run.


This game felt eerily similar to the third game of the Notre Dame series last weekend, when the Hokies were swept, the first time that has happened all year. Just like in that game, Rochard gave up a game-tying homer in the seventh and would later give up the game-winning home run in the ninth.


The loss drops Rochard to (20-7, 1.22 ERA), giving her three losses in her last three starts.


Virginia Tech is back in action this weekend with a four-game series in Syracuse, while Liberty travels to Kennesaw for a three-game series against Kennesaw State. The two teams will meet again next Wednesday, May 5, this time in Blacksburg for the rematch.