DURHAM, N.C. – After defeating No. 12/14 Duke 7-3 in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Saturday, No. 19/16 Virginia Tech softball got a clutch game-winning home run in extra innings by freshman Emma Ritter to propel the Hokies to a 4-2 eight-inning win in Game 2 at Duke Softball Stadium.
Ritter (.333 BA, 9 RBIs), who hadn't hit a home since opening weekend, went 2 for 2 in the second contest and made four catches out in right field. Pitcher Mackenzie Osborne (1-0, 2.18 ERA) went 5.0 innings in the second game with two runs allowed and two strikeouts and Ivy Rosenberry (4-3, 2.94 ERA) came in for relief and earned the win, going 3.0 innings with no runs allowed, two hits and one strikeout.
In Game 1, pitcher Keely Rochard (18-2, 0.99 ERA) held the Blue Devils (26-6, 14-6 ACC) to three runs and went 7.0 innings with eight strikeouts, while left fielder Kelsey Brown (.435 BA, 17 SBs), second baseman Addy Greene (.302 BA, 7 2Bs) and catcher Mackenzie Lawter (.281 BA, 11 Rs) all had two hits apiece for Tech (23-5, 16-5).
QUOTING RIGHT FIELDER EMMA RITTER
On the game-winning home run:
"It was a very adrenaline-filled game and it took a whole team effort to get both wins today," Ritter said. "I don't really remember the at-bat, to be honest. It was an inside pitch and then I didn't even know it went over."
On what it's going to take to get the win tomorrow for the sweep:
"I think tomorrow is just going to be about us continuing to play like we have been," Ritter said. "We are all excited right now, and I think tomorrow is all about us staying focused and finishing it off on a good note."
HOW IT HAPPENED
(Game 1)
In the top of the first, Brown singled through the left side and Greene followed with a single of her own, a grounder up the middle, to get two on with no outs. Then shortstop Kelsey Bennett hit a slow roller to Duke's shortstop, who made a throwing error to first base, allowing Brown to use her speed and slide headfirst into home plate for the game's first run.
Duke would answer, however, in the bottom of the second. Designated player Deja Davis hit a high fly ball to right center that would eventually go over the right-field fence for a two-run home run to give the Blue Devils a 2-1 lead.
But Tech exploded in the next half inning, plating four runs to take a 5-2 advantage. It all started with four consecutive singles, as catcher Mackenzie Lawter started it through the right side, Brown hit it up the middle, Greene went to left and a rope down the left-field line by first baseman Jayme Bailey capped it, scoring Brown.
Then with two outs and runners on second and third, center fielder Darby Trull, a lefty, turned on it and sent a 3-0 pitch down the right-field line to score Greene and Bailey for a two-run single.
Tech would tack on another run in the top of the fourth, as third baseman Alexa Milius earned a five-pitch walk and would advance to second on a single down the left-field line by Lawter and get to third on a wild pitch. Then Brown, a slapper, would go the other way with a deep fly ball down the left-field line, to earn the sac fly and score Milius.
The Blue Devils would cut the deficit to three runs in the bottom of the fifth, after a leadoff home run by first baseman Rachel Crabtree, marking her second homer of the season. But Rochard would get three of the next four batters out.
Bennett would give Rochard an insurance run in the top of the seventh, hitting a 2-2 pitch to straightaway center for a solo home run, giving Bennett her eighth of the season. With her eighth, she sits second in the ACC for home runs.
After a ground out, Duke would get its second batter on in the bottom of the seventh, but Rochard induced a pop up to Lawter and then finished it with a strikeout swinging to seal it.
(Game 2)
For the third game in a row, Tech would strike first as Brown hit a liner to center that went over the center fielder's head and she would use her speed to tally a stand-up triple. Then she would eventually score on a sac fly by Trull to center to make it 1-0.
In the bottom of the third, Duke's second baseman Kristina Foreman doubled to right center, then would get moved over to third after a sac bunt. She would get home after a passed ball, which looked like a cross-up of communication between Osborne and Lawter, to tie it up at 1-1.
Duke would take the lead in the bottom of the fifth, with it starting with a single through the left side by Davis. She would advance two bases on a wild pitch and then was thrown out by Bennett after she corralled a grounder and threw a dart to Lawter, who tagged Davis right before she slid into home plate.
But the Blue Devils would not let that big play get to them, with Foreman, who reached on that grounder to Bennett that was a fielder's choice, swiped second and then would score on a single to center, making it 2-1.
And as Lee Corso would say, 'No so fast, my friend,' as Trull hit a leadoff triple to center in the next half inning, setting the tone that Tech would not go down without a fight. The sophomore would score on the next at-bat, with Bailey hitting a sac fly to right to tie it at 2-2 in the top of the sixth.
The bottom of the sixth would see a pitching change for Tech, as Rosenberry came in to start the frame and went to work, getting Duke to go three up, three down. She would do the same in the seventh via two groundouts and a fly out. One of those ground outs she took a ball of her leg that ricocheted over to third and Milius grabbed it quickly and fired it to first for the out, which was crucial and led things to go to extra innings.
To begin the eighth, Bailey doubled down the right-field line and then Ritter hit her two-run blast down the left-field line on an 0-1 count to take the lead, 4-2. Rosenberry allowed a leadoff single to right center, but would remain calm, cool and collected and get three outs to earn the win, marking her first league victory.
NOTES
- Seven Hokies got a hit in the second game, while seven got a hit in the first contest, too, with the total for the day standing at 19.
- Tech extends its winning streak versus Duke to seven games, dating back to a 4-0 win on May 9, 2018 in Atlanta at the ACC Tournament. It leads 8-2 in the all-time series.
- There hasn't been too many games since Tech coach Pete D'Amour has arrived that have gone into extra innings, with tonight's thriller being just the fourth time. D'Amour is 3-1 in extra-inning games at Tech, with ironically all three wins coming against ranked opponents.
- For a deeper dive on the extra-inning thrillers:
W, 7-6 at then-No. 8/8 Georgia in 8 innings on March 1, 2019
L, 4-3 vs. Iowa in 8 innings on Feb. 9, 2020 (Kickin' Chicken Classic)
W, 6-5 vs. then-No. 21/23 Northwestern in 8 innings on Feb. 16, 2020 (St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational)
W, 4-2 at No. 12/14 Duke in 8 innings on April 3, 2021
UP NEXT
- The Hokies will wrap up the four-game series with Duke on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ACC Network at Duke Softball Stadium.
