Liberty University
38-15
Virginia Tech
40-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| Virginia Tech | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 1 |
No. 2 Virginia Tech Edges Liberty 13-9 in Weather-Shortened Contest
5/3/2022 10:39:54 PM | Softball
Liberty and No. 2 Virginia Tech combined for six homers and 22 runs scored in a weather-shortened six-inning game that went to the Hokies 13-9 on Tuesday at Tech Softball Park.
The start of the game was delayed an hour and 15 minutes. Then, with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the game ultimately got called due to severe lightning in the Blacksburg area.
Virginia Tech (40-6) ends its regular season on a nine-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Liberty falls to 38-15 on the season, including 2-10 against Top 25 teams and 5-5 versus ACC opponents.
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Hudson homers to left, Hudson and Howard score, 2-0
Virginia Tech – 1st INNING – Bennett doubles to right, Overaitis and Fagan score, 2-2
Virginia Tech – 2nd INNING – Ritter reaches on fielder’s choice, Fagan advances on error, Bailey scores, 3-2
Virginia Tech – 2nd INNING – Overaitis homers to right, Overaitis, Ritter and Fagan score, 6-2
Virginia Tech – 2nd INNING – Bennett homer left field, Bennett and Slaw score, 8-2
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Wilson homers to center, Wilson, Allan, Canetto and Hudson score, 8-6
Virginia Tech – 3rd INNING – Slaw doubles down the left field line, Ritter, Fagan and Bailey score, 11-6
Liberty – 5th INNING – Wilson homers to center, Wilson, Plummer and Canetto score, 11-9
Virginia Tech – 6th INNING – Peck homers to right, Peck and Lawter score, 13-9
Turning Point
- With the game tied at 2-2 after two outs in the second, a Liberty error kept the inning going and the Hokies scored six unearned runs.
- Mary Claire Wilson brought Liberty to within 8-6 with a third-inning grand slam. However, Virginia Tech responded with three runs in the bottom of the third.
- Karlie Keeney held the Hokies scoreless in the fourth and fifth, and Wilson narrowed the gap to 11-9 with her second homer of a game, a three-run blast in the fifth.
Notable Numbers
- Virginia Tech outhit Liberty 11-8 for the game, with both teams recording one error.
- Liberty tied Florida State (April 9) for the most runs scored in a game against Virginia Tech this season. The Hokies entered the game ranked 10th nationally with a 1.78 team ERA.
- Ivy Rosenberry (2-0) earned the win, allowing three runs on three hits, striking out one in 2 2/3 innings of relief. Starter Keely Rochard allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits, walking two and striking out four in 2 1/3 innings. Emma Lemley earned the save with one scoreless inning.
- Megan Johnson (3-1) drew the loss, allowing four unearned runs on four hits with one strikeout in 1 1/3 inning pitched. Liberty starter Naomi Jones yielded two runs with two walks in 2/3 of an inning. McKenzie Wagoner yielded two unearned runs in 1/3 of and inning, before Karlie Keeney gave up five runs on four hits, walking three and striking out one in 3 2/3 innings.
- Meredith Slaw batted 2-for-3, a double and three runs scored. Kelsey Bennett batted 2-for-4 with a double, homer, four RBI and one run scored. Morgan Overaitis hit a three-run homer, while Bre Peck hit a two-run home run.
- Mary Claire Wilson batted 2-for-3 with two homers, a program-record-tying seven RBI and two runs scored. Kara Canetto went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Caroline Hudson hit her team-leading 15th homer of the season and added two RBI.
Beyond the Box Score
- Liberty saw a program-record road winning streak snapped at 14 games.
- Today was the first time this season that Liberty has lost a game when scoring in the first inning. Liberty is 22-1 when scoring in the first inning and 33-1 when scoring first.
- Wilson tied a program single-game record with seven RBI, the most RBI by a Lady Flame against a Top 25 team. She joins Amanda Maska (April 17, 2004 vs. ECU) as the only two Liberty players with seven RBI in a game against an NCAA Division I opponent.
- Wilson’s two home runs tie Amber Bishop (Feb. 23, 2020 vs. No. 6 Michigan) and Caroline Hudson (April 28, 2021 against No. 18 Virginia Tech) for the most homers by a Lady Flame against a nationally-ranked opponent.
- Wilson’s grand slam was the team’s fourth this season and third all-time against a Top 25 team. Rachel Craine had a grand slam on March 10 against No. 8 Arkansas.
- Liberty tied a program record for most runs scored against a Top 25 team, as the Lady Flames scored nine in a 14-9 loss to No. 8 Arkansas on March 10.
- Rachel Roupe has reached base safely in 12 straight games, the longest active consecutive games reaching base streak on the team.
- Canetto leads Liberty with 21 multiple-hit games this season, recording two hits in eight of her last nine games.
- Virginia Tech is now 38-16 all-time against Liberty in softball.
- Liberty is now 5-7 against Virginia Tech under ninth-year head coach Dot Richardson. The Lady Flames and Hokies split the season series each of the last four times they met twice in a season (2015-18).
Up Next
The Lady Flames finish up the regular season with a three-game home series against Stetson, Thursday and Friday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium. Liberty has already wrapped up the No. 1 seed for the 2022 ASUN Softball Championship, and will open conference tournament play next Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at UNF Softball Complex.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rosenberry (2-0)
L: Johnson, Megan (3-1)
S: E. Lemley (3)
Batting:
HR: Hudson, Caroline 1 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 2
RBI: Hudson, Caroline 2 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 7
SH: Barrett, Raigan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Howard, Devyn 1 ; Hudson, Caroline 2 ; Canetto, Kara 2 ; Allan, Lou 1 ; Plummer, Janessa 1 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 2
CS: Roupe, Rachel 1
Batting:
2B: M. Slaw 1 ; K. Bennett 1 ; M. Lawter 1
HR: M. Overaitis 1 ; K. Bennett 1 ; B. Peck 1
RBI: M. Overaitis 3 ; M. Slaw 3 ; K. Bennett 4 ; B. Peck 2
Base Running:
RUNS: C. Fagan 3 ; E. Ritter 2 ; M. Overaitis 2 ; M. Slaw 1 ; K. Bennett 1 ; M. Lawter 1 ; B. Peck 1 ; J. Bailey 2
