Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG (hokiesports.com) - Coming off a 5-0 weekend at the Troy Subway Invitational, the Virginia Tech softball team (9-1) travels across the bridge to take on New River Valley rival Radford University Wednesday afternoon at Dedmon Center Field for a single game starting at 3 p.m., weather permitting. Admission is free.
This will be the 32nd overall meeting between the two teams, as the Hokies lead the Highlanders 31-10 in the all-time series. The series dates back to 1996 where Radford captured five straight wins to open the series. Tech’s first win came in 1998, where the Hokies captured a 10-8 win. During a five-year span, the Hokies went on a 15-game winning streak against the Highlanders starting in 1999 and ending in 2004, which includes the largest margin of victory. On March 30, 2002, the Hokies shut out Radford, 15-0, in Blacksburg, which is one of the 11 shutouts for Tech in the series.
The Hokies are 9-3 all-time at Dedmon Center Field.
Tech and Radford (0-2) met twice last season with the Hokies winning 9-1 in five innings at home and 5-0 at Radford.
The Highlanders have played just two games thus far, being swept at North Carolina 7-1 and 7-3 last week. Becky Mantel batted .600 in the doubleheader and Ryndee Ruch hit .500 in the two games. Radford hit just .200 as a team against the Tar Heels.
Three pitchers saw action against UNC in the twin bill. Jackie Jenkins (0-1) pitched 6.0 innings with a strikeout and an ERA of 7.00 while Rachael Walters (0-1) pitched 4.2 innings with three strikeouts and an ERA of 10.52. Allie Reid pitched 1.1 innings with a strikeout, but didn’t give up a run. The Highlanders have a 7.58 staff ERA in a small sample size.
With Tuesday mixed precipitation in the NRV, plus cold temperatures forecast for Wednesday, be sure to follow @VT_Softball on Twitter and hokiesports.com for any potential changes.
Following Wednesday’s game, the Hokies will head to Woodstock, Ga., for a tournament hosted by Kennesaw State. Tech is scheduled to play two games on Friday, two on Saturday and one on Sunday, weather permitting.