BRIGHTON, Mass. – Amongst a cold, rainy Friday night at the Harrington Athletics Village, the No. 24/23 Virginia Tech softball team defeated Boston College 10-2 in six innings, marking its 16th run-rule victory of the season.
The Hokies (41-8, 18-4 ACC) were led by the outfielders, with left fielder Emma Strouth and center fielder Darby Trull getting two hits apiece and right fielder Al Velazquez tallied a team-high three RBIs. In the circle, pitcher Keely Rochard (19-3) pitched another complete game, with two runs allowed and struck out six Eagles (15-30, 4-15).
Tech had a season-high 10 walks at the plate, topping the previous high of seven set against Pitt (March 23) and Purdue (Feb. 10), and had three hit by pitches. Its 10 runs were the most since April 10 versus then-No. 20/17 JMU and the 13th time this year it has cracked the 10-run plateau.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game, which was roughly 45 degrees and rainy at first pitch, started off with three straight walks for the Hokies, as BC's pitcher struggled to find the strike zone. After a wild pitch scored Velazquez, Strouth came through with an RBI single between third base and shortstop, scoring Trull.
Strouth scored on another wild pitch from BC and then designated hitter Meredith Slaw roped a single up the middle, knocking in third baseman Kelsey Bennett, who got on with a walk, for the four-run first inning.
Bennett began the third frame getting hit by a pitch on the hand, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Bailey got plunked in the next at-bat and Slaw would hit a deep fly ball to center, scoring pinch runner Stacy Kalt on a sacrifice fly. With two on, two outs, Velazquez singled up the middle for two RBIs, making it a 7-0 game after 2 ½ innings.
The Eagles would get their first runs on the board with one swing of the bat with two outs, getting a two-run double to center. But the Hokies followed in the top of the fifth, adding two runs to make it a seven-run differential again after back-to-back RBI singles by shortstop Caitlyn Nolan and Strouth.
In the sixth, Tech got three walks and a sac fly by Velazquez, scoring Trull to put the run-rule in play at 10-2. Rochard began the bottom half with a strikeout and foul out, but the Eagles put the pressure on, getting runners on second and third. But Rochard buckled down and got a groundout to short, sealing the win.
NOTES
- Tech once again scored in the first inning and improves to 26-2 when it does so.
- Trull improves her hitting streak to six games, while Bailey now owns a seven-game reached base streak.
- The Hokies' 18 wins in the ACC is the second-most in program history and are one game away from tying the school record of 19 set in 2014.
UP NEXT
- Tech will be back at it on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET for Game 2 of its three-game series with the Eagles. The game will not be streamed.
Gallery: (4/26/2019) 2019 SOFTBALL at BOSTON COLLEGE FRIDAY
