AUSTIN - Junior Olivia Lattin had an RBI single and went 3 for 3, her second consecutive multi-hit game, in Virginia Tech’s 5-2 loss to Wichita State on Sunday at the Texas Invitational.
Freshman Sammi Miller went 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored while junior Emma Strouth went 1 for 4 with a run driven in for the Hokies (7-5). Freshman Keely Rochard struck out four in the loss.
With one out in the top of the first, senior Caroline Schoenewald dropped a base hit to center field for Tech’s first baseunner of the game. Lattin and senior Jessie Mehr followed with back-to-back walks that loaded the bases with two down but the Hokies couldn’t muster a run.
Lattin stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two down in the top of the second and delivered with a hard hit base knock to left field. Freshman Casey Barrett scored easily from third that made it 1-0 in favor of the Hokies but Miller was thrown out on a bang-bang play at home that ended the inning.
The Shockers went on to push four runs across in the bottom of the third to take a 4-1 lead and tacked on one more in the bottom of the fourth to go up four, 5-1. Three of Rochard’s four runs allowed were unearned while Carrie Eberle’s lone run allowed went unearned.
In the top of the fifth, Lattin reached on her second hit of the day and later went first to third on a single to right field off the bat of Emma Strouth. Wichita State was able to get out of the inning unscathed though as the Hokies stranded two more runners.
After Eberle blanked the Shockers in the bottom of the fifth and sixth, Miller led off the top of the seventh with a double and advanced to third on a groundout. An RBI fielder’s choice from Strouth plated Miller that cut the deficit to three, 5-2, but it wouldn’t be enough.
The Hokies finish the weekend 1-3 with a one-run loss to Texas and a two-run defeat to Michigan. Tech will return to action on Wednesday for its home opener at 7 p.m. against Radford.