No. 14 Virginia tech faces no. 1 north Carolina after two week pause

Nick Cheshire

March 13, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Behind another dominant complete game from No. 16 Virginia Tech ace Keely Rochard, the Hokies hung on to beat a high-powered NC State team in the club’s return to action after multiple weeks of COVID-19 complications.

The Hokies (8-2, 5-2 ACC) picked up where they left off, stopping a red-hot NC State (11-4, 7-4 ACC) team that had won seven of their previous eight games, including taking three-of-four from ACC foe Georgia Tech.

The Wolfpack took an early lead in the bottom of the first on a two-run home run. After a solid at-bat from NC State star Tatyana Forbes resulted in the first base runner of the day, Logan Morris followed it up with a line drive that clanged off the left field pole.

Rochard settled in after the early damage, proving dominant as the game progressed. She didn’t have her best stuff at times but she came through in clutch moments, often delivering timely strikeouts in full-count and two out situations.

She finished with an outstanding 12 strikeouts, including a game-sealing strikeout of Forbes in the bottom of the seventh. This win puts her at 6-1 on the year and keeps her ERA under one, which now sits at 0.80.

The majority of the Hokies’ offense came in the top of the third. It began with smart and electric base-running from Mackenzie Lawter, who scored from first on an Addy Greene’s double in the right-center gap.

Later in the frame with the bases loaded, Jayme Bailey came up big, dropping a base hit into shallow center to score two runs, giving the Hokies the 3-2 lead.

Tech would add another in the fourth, when Emma Ritter walked and stole second, putting herself in scoring position for Lawter. The Hokies’ catcher singled into left-center, driving in Ritter, to stretch the lead to 4-2.

Abby Trahan took over in the circle for the Wolfpack for starter Sydney Nester, who dominated the first time through the lineup but struggled through the second. Nester’s struggles ultimately landed her loss.

Trahan was perfect in her 3 ⅓ innings of work, retiring ten straight Hokies, but it was all for naught. The NC State offense stranded six runners and was unable to drive in runners in clutch moments in the final two innings.

Tomorrow, the teams meet twice again, the first meeting at 12 p.m. and the second immediately after. The final game of the four-game series will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m.