VIRGINIA TECH SWEEPS DOUBLEHEADER OVER DUKE TO CLAIM SERIES WIN

Colby Talley

April 4, 2021

DURHAM, N.C. — No. 19 Virginia Tech claimed it’s sixth straight ACC series win after sweeping Saturday’s doubleheader against No. 12 Duke.

The Hokies (23-5, 16-5 ACC) built off the momentum from Friday night’s series opening win to rattle off two more victories against one of the nation’s top teams in the Blue Devils (26-6, 14-6 ACC).

The first game was highlighted by the star-studded pitching matchup of Hokies ace Keely Rochard and Blue Devils ace Shelby Walters. Both players stand as the only pitchers in the ACC who have an ERA under 1.00.

However, despite the talent in the pitching circle, both teams got to work early on offense. The Hokies scored a run in the first inning after outfielder Kelsey Brown advanced from second base on a throwing error.

Meanwhile, the Blue Devils answered when infielder Deja Davis hit a two-run home run to right field.

The Hokies reclaimed the lead after a big third inning that saw them score 4 runs off hits from Addy Greene, Jayme Bailey, and Darby Trull. This offensive output led to the Blue Devils pulling Walters out of the game in the third inning in favor of Brianna Butler.

Butler pitched partway into the fourth inning until she gave up another run on a sacrifice fly from Kelsey Brown that drove in infielder Alexa Milius. This led to another Duke pitcher replacement, as Claire Davidson came in and finished the game in the circle.

Infielder Rachel Crabtree scored the only other run of the game for the Blue Devils when she hit a home run in the fifth inning. Hokies infielder Kelsey Bennett got the run back in the seventh inning, however, with a home run of her own.

Rochard took advantage of the offensive support to stay in the game and claim her ACC-leading sixteenth complete game victory by a score of 7-3.

The second game ended up being closer to the pitching duel that was expected in the first game. Blue Devils pitcher Peyton St. George had a bounce-back performance after giving up four runs in the first game of the series.

On the other side, the Hokies turned to their freshman talent as Mackenzie Osborne started the game. Osborne was relieved in the sixth inning by Ivy Rosenberry, who closed out the game.

Both teams could only manage two runs apiece in the first seven innings. The Blue Devils got their runs from Kristina Foreman, who scored once on a passed ball in the third inning and again in the fifth inning on a fielding error. Meanwhile, the Hokies scored their runs on sacrifice flies from Trull and Bailey.

This forced the game into an extra eighth inning. Despite starting the inning with an out, the Hokies came up clutch as outfielder Emma Ritter hit a two-run homer to break the tie. Rosenberry shut down the Blue Devils batters in the bottom of the inning to secure the 4-2 victory.

With this doubleheader, the Blue Devils have now lost five straight games after capping off a 20-game win streak just last Friday against Clemson.

On the other hand, the Hokies have won five straight games and will look to continue the hot streak in the final game of this series on Sunday. First pitch will take place at 3 p.m.