CONWAY, S.C. – Seeking a fifth straight win, the Virginia Tech softball team came up short against Iowa in extra innings on Sunday in its final game of the Kickin' Chicken Classic on Coastal Carolina's campus by a score of 4-3.
The Hokies (4-1) looked to defeat the Hawkeyes (3-1) for the second time in the tournament, but could not get it done as Iowa hit a single and a throwing error ensued in the bottom of the eighth to claim it. Pitcher Keely Rochard (2-1) notched her career high in Ks with 15 despite the loss.
The Hawkeyes were paced by junior Avery Guy, who recorded one home run and two RBIs while Junior Mia Ruther had three hits and one RBI. Iowa pitchers Allison Doocy and Lauren Shaw combined for seven Ks and only allowed a season-low three runs for the Hokies.
Although Tech lost, freshman Grayson Cruce collected her first-career homer and infielder Olivia Lattin finished the game with one hit and two RBIs. Sophomores Jayme Bailey and Kelsey Brown each recorded hits in the defeat.
THE GAME
Iowa took an early two-run lead in the second and held the Hokies scoreless through four innings. In the fifth, Cruce homered getting Tech on the board, followed by an RBI from Lattin bringing Maddi Banks and Darby Trull home. Iowa answered in the bottom of the fifth, making the score 3-3 after five.
Rochard registered three straight strikeouts in the sixth as both teams went scoreless in the final two stints, pushing the outing to extra innings. In Tech's first extra-inning affair of the season, the Hawkeyes came away with the lone run in the bottom of the eighth.
NOTES
- Rochard threw 15 Ks, giving her 34 on the season through three games.
- Lattin finished with one hit and two RBIs giving her four hits and two RBI on the season.
- With the one hit today, Bailey has seven hits through five contests.
- Kelsey Brown has a team-high 10 hits and six runs through the first five games.
UP NEXT
The Hokies will face No. 13/13 Oklahoma State in Clearwater, Florida, on Feb. 13 for the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, a five-game tournament that will be televised all weekend on ESPN's family of networks.