BLACKSBURG – No. 24/19 Virginia Tech softball jumped out to an early lead and would cruise to an 8-0 victory over Radford on Wednesday in midweek action at Tech Softball Park.
The Hokies (28-4, 8-1 ACC) got six of their eight runs off home runs, including a grand slam from shortstop Caitlyn Nolan and a two-run shot by first baseman Jayme Bailey. In the circle, pitcher Carrie Eberle (17-1) mowed down the Highlanders (12-19, 3-3 Big South) for her fifth shutout of the season and help Tech extend its winning streak to 11 games.
The win marked Tech's second victory against Radford this season, following a 10-0 run-rule victory in five innings on Feb. 27. The season sweep moves the Hokies to a 44-13 all-time series advantage.
Nolan's homer wasn't the first time she's hit a home run against Radford this year, or event the second. The South Carolina native went deep twice in the previous matchup, giving her three on the year versus the Highlanders.
QUOTING SHORTSTOP CAITLYN NOLAN
On what has been the reason the team has been playing well during the win streak:
"Well, I would say the most important thing is that we're not thinking about it," Nolan said. "Like you just told me the streak we were on and Coach (Pete D'Amour) has been really stressing that our approach should be one game at a time, which takes the pressure off of you when you're on a streak like that.
"You're not thinking about like, 'Oh, we got to keep it going.' You're thinking about this pitch or one at-bat at a time. It makes it a little easier and takes the stress off of you. I think that's been the biggest thing for us."
On why she plays so well against Radford:
"I'm not sure (laughing)," Nolan said. "I don't know if it's a close-to-home thing or if there's a secret ingredient to it. But I'm just trying to go up there and put a good swing on the ball against each team that we play."
On the grand slam:
"Well, I honestly thought it was a pretty rough swing," Nolan explained. "I threw my hands out. I was expecting a pitch kind of up in the zone and that one ended up dropping off. I didn't think it had a chance to go out, but then I saw the centerfielder's back and thought, 'That might go.' So, it barely snuck over the center-field fence. I'll take that for sure."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Radford in the first inning put Eberle in a jam, getting a leadoff single and walk to get two runners on. The junior would get a strikeout looking to get two outs, but would walk the next batter to load up the bases. But again, Eberle got a clutch strikeout to keep the scoreboard at zero.
The scoreboard would become crooked in the bottom half, though, as the Hokies exploded for six runs. Outfielder Darby Trull got it started with a double to left field, then fellow outfielder Emma Strouth would change places with her, getting an RBI double to knock in Trull for the first run of the game.
Third baseman Kelsey Bennett was hit by a pitch and designated player Grace Chavez earned a six-pitch walk, loading the bases for Nolan. On the third pitch she saw, Nolan hit a rope to center for Tech's third grand slam of the season.
After back-to-back singles by Mackenzie Lawter and Maddi Banks, Tech batted around with outfielder Al Velazquez back up to the plate and she delivered an RBI double down the right-field line, scoring Lawter for the sixth run.
Eberle came back to the circle in the top of second with a six-run lead and struck out the side, all swinging, on 0-2, 1-2 and 2-2 counts.
Tech would tack on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to a single by Velazquez and then a two-run home run to center from Bailey off a full count.
The Highlanders would put the pressure on one more time, getting two on, no outs in the top of the fifth. But Eberle got three straight outs off a strikeout, fielder's choice and groundout to get the shutout.
NOTES
- Eberle finished with six strikeouts, five hits allowed and two walks on 82 pitches. With her fifth shutout, that racks up 13 for the Hokies on the season, the most in the ACC.
- After scoring three runs in the first inning in its last game (Pitt on Sunday), Tech did more of the same with scoring double Wednesday. The six runs mean that the Hokies have outscored their opponents 43-5 in the first inning this year, and are 16-1 when they score in the first.
- Nolan hit her team-leading 10thhome run of the season, which is tied for fifth in the league. Her grand slam marked that Tech has now had one in two out of its last four games (Mackenzie Lawter at Pitt on March 23).
- Every player that had an at-bat for the Hokies, 10 to be exact, got a hit. Velazquez and Trull were the lone Hokies to get two hits on the night.
UP NEXT
- The Hokies will be back at Tech Softball Park this weekend, taking on Louisville (21-10, 3-3) in a three-game series starting on Friday at 6 p.m. ET. The series will be broadcast on WatchESPN.Gallery: (3/27/2019) 2019 SOFTBALL vs. RADFORD
