LEXINGTON, Ky. – One of the greatest turnarounds in NCAA history came to a close on Sunday, as the No. 22/21 Virginia Tech softball team fell in the regional final to No. 23/20 Kentucky 11-1 in six innings at John Cropp Stadium.
The Hokies (47-11, 20-4 ACC), under the direction of first-year coach Pete D'Amour, cracked the NCAA record book after winning 24 more games than they did the previous year (click here for most improved record book section). The 2019 team also etched their name in the school record book, winning 47 games for the fourth-most in program history and the most since 2008.
Though it was a run-rule win for the Wildcats (36-22, 14-10 SEC), with them advancing to super regionals, the Hokies were in it through and through with it being a 3-1 ball game until the 'Cats scored five unearned runs in the top of the fifth and would go on to get three more in the sixth.
At the plate, third baseman Kelsey Bennett went deep for her 14th home run of the season, extending her freshman school record tally. Four other Hokies turned in a hit while in the circle, both Carrie Eberle (25-8) and Keely Rochard (22-3) pitched the six frames.
QUOTING TECH COACH PETE D'AMOUR
Opening statement:
""First off, hats off to Kentucky," D'Amour said. "They're a good team and winning regionals is not easy and they've done it I think four of the last four or five years. They gave us a fight.
"But I got hired a little over a year ago and inherited a team that had won 23 games, and here we are sitting here and we've won 47. So, after the initial shock of the loss wore off, I'm looking back and there are a lot of things to build on for next year. I'm really proud of the kids and we'll get it next year."
QUOTING PITCHER CARRIE EBERLE
On advancing to regionals for the first time in her career:
"I think it's a great building block for this program," Eberle said. "It kind of sets the new standard. We won more games this year than we won combined my first two years. So, it's kind of crazy how far we've come.
"Yeah, we hit a brick wall here but I don't think it's a failure by any means. We kind of knew what we were coming into. We didn't play our best ball, but we definitely have a lot to grow from. There's a lot of young players out there who will be better next year so there's a lot to look forward to."
QUOTING OUTFIELDER EMMA STROUTH
On the experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament:
"This experience has been amazing coming to regionals because this is my first time coming as a senior," Strouth said. "As a freshman, we were the 65th team and only 64 teams make it. So, we were the first one out. The next year we didn't even make the ACC Tournament. Last year, we barely made the ACC Tournament and we lost the second game out. We didn't come to regionals again.
"So, to get this far this time and into the finals was a pretty awesome experience. Obviously, you want to keep winning and go to supers and Women's College World Series and that's the ultimate goal and all, but we did good."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Eberle was put in a jam early, as Kentucky got back-to-back singles in the top of the first. With two outs and runners on second and third, Eberle induced a soft ground ball back to her and the junior fired it to first for the bang-bang play that was the third out of the inning, getting through the heart of the lineup unscathed.
In the top of the third, the 'Cats put the pressure on once again after a solo home run to left field gave them a 1-0 lead. UK stringed together three consecutive hits after the homer, but Eberle stopped the bleeding by getting a groundout and a strikeout with the score at 3-0.
Eberle got two strikeouts in the next inning before Bennett, on the first pitch she saw in the leadoff spot in the bottom half of the fourth, hit her first home run since April 17 to trim the deficit to two at 3-1. Then first baseman Jayme Bailey singled through the left side and designated player Cana Davis reached on a fielding error.
With two on, one out, pinch hitter Meredith Slaw squared one up down the left-field line but as it got closer to the fence, it began to drift foul and eventually went over the fence but just a couple feet left of the left-field foul poll, which would've been a go-ahead, three-run home run. But that was Tech's day, close but no cigar, as UK would eventual turn in a double play to escape the inning with just one run allowed.
With the momentum starting to turn towards those wearing blue in the stands, the 'Cats got a big swing of momentum in the fifth. Eberle, facing the top of the lineup again, got the leadoff batter to pop up to second. But in a 0-2 count to two-hitter Katie Reed, the at-bat began to slip away and Reed fouled three off and eventually worked it into walk after the nine-pitch at-bat.
SEC Player of the Year Abbey Cheek stroked one up the middle to make it two on, one out for Eberle. The North Carolina native got the four-hitter out on a fly out, but a costly error on the next at-bat began the ripple effect that allowed UK to plate five and break the game open.
Rochard would come in to get the final out of the inning. Then the sophomore would pitch the sixth and UK got a three-run home run to right center to put the run-rule in play. Kinsey Johnson, in her final at-bat as a Hokie, drew a walk as a pinch hitter but that would be it in the bottom of the sixth as UK got the next two batters out to win its third regional in a row.
NOTES
- Outfielder Al Velazquez had quite the regional, posting a team-high .545 batting average going 6 for 11 with four doubles and one home run.
- Fellow outfielder Darby Trull went 5 for 12 on the weekend, batting .417 with three doubles.
- The regional final appearance was the fourth in school history and the first for D'Amour as a head coach.
- The 47 wins marked the eighth time out of 24 years that Tech has had a 40-win season.
- With it being Tech's final game of the season, the record book will need to be dusted off as the Hokies set many single-season school records, including batting average (.334), slugging percentage (.598), on-base percentage (.417), runs scored (395), hits (515), doubles (98), home runs (97), RBIs (368), total bases (922) and fewest committed errors (47).
Gallery: (5/19/2019) 2019 NCAA SOFTBALL REGIONAL FINAL
