Hokie ClubCHARLOTTE – No. 3 seed Virginia Tech knocked off No. 6 seed North Carolina, 4-0, in the ACC Quarterfinals on Thursday night at the Harrington Athletics Village.
Emma Lemley was a star in the circle for the Hokies as she pitched a complete-game one-hit shutout and struck out six batters.
Nora Abromavage delivered with her pinch-hit appearance in the bottom of the sixth to drive in the first two runs of the game for Tech. Cori McMillan followed that up with a two-RBI double to make it 4-0.
How It Happened: Virginia Tech 4, North Carolina 0
It was a battle between pitchers through the first five innings. Holding the Tar Heels scoreless, Emma Lemley recorded three strikeouts and allowed just one hit to keep North Carolina off the board.
In the bottom of the fifth, a walk from McMillan and a hit by Jordan Lynch put runners on first and second for the Hokies, but they were unable to score.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Nora Abromavage delivered a clutch pinch-hit appearance and sent an RBI single to right field to put the Hokies up 2-0. With runners on first and second, Cori McMillan shot a double to left center to extend the lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth.
Lemley struck out her sixth batter of the night in the top of the seventh to cement the victory. The senior gave up one hit in the Hokies’ 21st shutout of the season.
Game Notes
• Tech advanced to its fourth ACC Semifinals in the past five years
• Tech improved to 23-33 in all-time matchups against North Carolina and 4-1 against the Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament
• Tech is tied for first in the nation with 21 shutouts
• Tech is now 14-1 in neutral site games
• Emma Lemley pitched a one-hit complete-game shutout for her 17th win of the season
• It marks her ninth shutout of the season
• Cori McMillan finished the night going 1-for-2 with a team-lead two RBIs
• McMillan is the first Hokie this year to eclipse 60 home runs (61)
• Zoe Yaeger recorded a team-high two hits as she went 2-for-3
• Nora Abromavage recorded seventh RBI of the season with a pinch-hit performance in the bottom of the sixth
• It was her fifth hit of the season
Up Next
Third-seeded Virginia Tech (41-10, 18-6 ACC) takes on two-seeded Clemson (42-12, 19-5 ACC) in the ACC Semifinals on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in Brighton, Mass. The game will be televised on ACC Network.