No. 18 virginia tech splits weekend doubleheader with pitt

Colby Talley

March 21, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Following a 9-0 mercy rule victory on Friday, No. 18 Virginia Tech split its Saturday doubleheader against Pittsburgh.

The Hokies (14-4, 9-4 ACC), coming off a stretch of six straight games where their offense scored nine or more runs, saw their bats cool off on Saturday as the Panthers (9-13, 4-8 ACC) put up a pair of respectable performances in the pitcher's circle.

The first game started off well for the Hokies as outfielder Kelsey Brown kicked off the game with a single and advanced to third, thanks to an error from the Panthers. Cameron Fagan drove in Brown on the next at-bat for an early run.

Despite the hot start, the only runs the Hokies scored for the remainder of the game came via a RBI single from center fielder Darby Trull in the second inning that brought in pinch runner Rebecca Ludowig and a sacrifice fly from left fielder Jayme Bailey to bring in Fagan during the sixth inning.

This lack of offense was largely due to the performance of Panthers pitcher Abby Edwards, who allowed three runs on seven hits and claimed a complete game victory for her team.

Another factor in the loss was the performance of Hokies pitcher Ivy Rosenberry, who pitched well through three innings until giving up four runs in the fourth inning. She was eventually pulled and replaced in the fifth with Mackenzie Osborne, who would another run over the final three innings.

The Hokies had their best chance to get back into the game during a sixth inning rally as they trailed 5-3 with a runner on third. Unfortunately for Virginia Tech, the next two batters would go down quietly and the team would go on to lose.

The second game was a different story as Keely Rochard started in the circle for the Hokies and posted arguably her strongest start of the season, punching out 19 Panther hitters, while only giving up one hit and no runs in a complete game shutout.

That one hit ended Rochard’s no-hit bid in the bottom of the sixth when Panthers shortstop Morgan Batesole lined a single to right field.

The Hokies offense also appeared to return closer to form as they put up three runs in the second inning and two more in the fifth.

The strong offensive start for the Hokies forced Panthers starter Makenzie Stiles out of the game after only an inning-and-a-third. She would be replaced with Brittany Knight who, despite a rough performance in her start Friday night, pitched a solid performance in relief only giving up two more runs on six hits in 4 ⅔ innings of work.

The Hokies also got busy on the bases in order to ensure more chances at scoring, as the team stole five bases over the course of the second game. Their aggressive baserunning combined with their increased amount of hits propelled them to a 5-0 victory in the second game.