SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Virginia Tech softball's Keely Rochard threw the seventh no-hitter of her career and second this season Friday as the No. 20/19 Hokies defeated Syracuse 8-0.
Rochard (21-7) struck out 16 batters Friday en route to the no-no and allowed just one baserunner on the day. The junior also passed Maggie Tyler for third on the Virginia Tech all-time strikeout list with 710 strikeouts in her career.
The Hokies (29-12, 20-11 ACC) also had a career day from Cameron Fagan, who set a new career high for hits Friday going 4 for 4 at the plate, scoring two runs and driving in another. Tech got two-RBI days from Jayme Bailey and Kelsey Bennett to help snap the team's five-game skid.
THE GAME
The Hokies struck early and often Friday after Grace Chavez got the scoring started in the third inning with a double down the left field line that Fagan was able to score from first on. Still in the third, Bennett doubled to right field, bringing in the pinch runner Maija Louko, and the Hokies led 2-0 after three innings.
Tech broke the game open in the fourth inning after it loaded the bases on three walks. Brown put a ball in play that Addy Greene was able to score on and then Fagan singled through the right side scoring Mackenzie Lawter. Bailey then recorded her first of two sacrifice flies with a fly ball to right field, bringing in Darby Trull and giving the Hokies a 5-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Rochard was just slinging it in the circle, retiring batter after batter from the Orange. Through five innings, the junior had struck out 11 and walked just one.
The Hokies would score two more in the top of the sixth off an error and a fielder's choice before plating their eighth run in the seventh off of Bailey's second sacrifice fly to right field. Rochard closed out the no-hitter in the bottom of the seventh, striking out all three Syracuse batters.
NOTES
- Fagan was the only Hokie with multiple hits Friday and she had four of them. The freshman is now hitting .438 on the season a day after being named to the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year Top 30.
- Already leading the ACC in sacrifice flies prior to Friday's game, Bailey added two more to give her a league-leading six on the season. The sophomore leads the team with 39 runs batted in on the year.
- Rochard picked up her 12th shutout of the season in her no-hit performance Friday, which is tied for the most in the country.
UP NEXT
The Hokies and Orange will play a doubleheader Saturday with the games scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Both games can be streamed on ACC Network Extra.Gallery: (4-30-2021) 2021 SOFTBALL AT SYRACUSE FRIDAY