Liberty University
34-18
Virginia Tech
36-17
No. 21 Virginia Tech Rallies for 7-5 Win at Liberty
5/3/2023 9:30:00 PM | Softball
The 21st-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies erased three two-run deficits and made a seventh-inning two-run double by Morgan Overaitis stand up, edging Liberty 7-5 on Wednesday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
Virginia Tech closes out its regular season with a 36-17 record. The Hokies are awaiting seeding for the 2023 ACC Softball Championship, which will take place May 10-13 in South Bend, Ind. The Lady Flames (34-18) will finish out their regular-season schedule with an ASUN series at Queens this weekend.
Turning Point
- Liberty took a 5-3 lead on Rachel Craine’s two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the fifth. The Hokies rallied to tie it with two runs in the sixth.
- With two on and two out in a tie game in the top of the seventh, Overaitis lined a ball into the left-center gap, which Liberty left fielder KK Madrey nearly snagged on a dive. However, the ball got past her and pushed two runs across.
- The Lady Flames threatened in the bottom of the seventh, as Caroline Hudson led off with a single. Megan Fortner drew a walk with two outs, but Virginia Tech’s Lyndsey Grein fanned Madrey to secure the 7-5 win.
Scoring Summary
Liberty – 1st INNING – Roupe homers to let center, Howard scores, 2-0
VT – 3rd INNING – Greene homers to right center, 2-1
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Hudson doubles to left center, Wilson scores, 3-1
VT – 5th INNING – Aldridge homers to center, Castine scores, 3-3
Liberty – 5th INNING – Craine doubles down left field line, Roupe advances, Howard and Hudson score, 5-3
VT – 6th INNING – Hanson singles down left field line, Peck advances, Ritter scores, 5-4
VT – 6th INNING – Castine flies out to center field, SF, Peck scores, 5-5
VT – 7th INNING – Overaitis doubles to left center, Ritter and Greene score, 7-5
Notable Numbers
- Virginia Tech outhit Liberty 10-6 for the game, with the Hokies committing two errors and the Lady Flames sustaining one. Both teams turned a double play. Liberty left seven runners on base while Virginia Tech stranded six.
- Today’s attendance of 1,133 was the second-highest attended game in Liberty Softball Stadium history.
- Grein (9-4) earned the win, allowing two unearned runs on two hits, walking four and striking out three in three innings of relief. Tech starter Emma Lemley lasted four innings, yielding three runs on four hits, walking one and striking out four.
- Kylie Aldridge batted 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored, while Addy Greene added a homer of her own, going 1-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored. Overaitis drove in two, going 1-for-1 with a double, while Emma Ritter batted 1-for-4 with two runs.
- Rachel Roupe homered for the second game in a row, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Caroline Hudson extended her hitting streak to 12 games, batting 2-for-4 with her team-leading 15th double, one RBI and one run. Rachel Craine went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI, while Devyn Howard scored twice.
Beyond the Box Score
- Virginia Tech leads Liberty 40-16 in the all-time series, as the Hokies have won each of the last four meetings, including both this season.
- Liberty is 3-11 against nationally-ranked opponents this season, including 3-3 in its last six matchups with Top 25 teams.
- Liberty finished with a 22-4 record at Liberty Softball Stadium this season. Virginia Tech was the first nonconference team to beat the Lady Flames at home this year, as Liberty went 13-1 in nonconference home games.
- Liberty is 18-8 all-time against ACC opponents at Liberty Softball Stadium.
- Roupe has hit eight out of her nine home runs this year at home, and 14 out of 17 in her career.
- Hudson is the first Liberty player since Amber Bishop-Riley in 2019 to record 10 or more homers and 15 or more doubles in the same year.
- Hudson is now in sole possession of seventh place in program history with 127 career RBI.
- Liberty set a new program single-season record for double plays, with 23 this year, passing the previous mark of 22 set in 2001 and tied in 2021.
Up Next
Liberty wraps up its regular-season schedule with a three-game series at Queens, beginning with a single game at 4 p.m. on Friday.
Featured in photo: Caroline Hudson
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: L. Grein (9-4)
L: Keeney, Karlie (23-9)
Batting:
2B: B. Peck 1 ; M. Overaitis 1
HR: A. Greene 1 ; K. Aldridge 1
RBI: A. Greene 1 ; M. Hanson 1 ; M. Overaitis 2 ; R. Castine 1 ; K. Aldridge 2
SF: R. Castine 1
Base Running:
RUNS: A. Greene 2 ; E. Ritter 2 ; B. Peck 1 ; R. Castine 1 ; K. Aldridge 1
Batting:
2B: Hudson, Caroline 1 ; Craine, Rachel 1
HR: Roupe, Rachel 1
RBI: Hudson, Caroline 1 ; Roupe, Rachel 2 ; Craine, Rachel 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Howard, Devyn 2 ; Hudson, Caroline 1 ; Roupe, Rachel 1 ; Wilson, Mary Claire 1
