KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 3 Virginia Tech softball team preps for a midweek matchup at No. 15/14 Tennessee on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN at 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hokies clinched a point in the Commonwealth Clash this past weekend, taking two games of three from Virginia. The Hokies took game one 5-1 and game three 5-4 in eight innings. Game two was a 5-3 Virginia win. Keely Rochard got the win in both games for the Hokies, striking out 20 in her 15 innings pitched. Cameron Fagan led the way offensively in game one, going 2-for-4 on the day with a double and an RBI. Meredith Slaw was the hero in game three, posting four RBI, including a two-run single to tie the game up in the fifth and a solo home run to tie the game back up in the eighth to set up for the walk-off.
LAWTER WALK-OFF
Senior catcher Mackenzie Lawter had her second walk-off hit of the season on Saturday, hitting a single up the middle to score Maddy Federico in the eighth inning to clinch the series against Virginia. This is Lawter's second walk-off this season, with the first being a walk-off hit against Ohio State on Feb. 25 to lead the Hokies to a 1-0 win over the Buckeyes in nine innings.
RANKED MATCHUPS
This is the Hokies 15th game so far this season against an opponent ranked in the top 25 in either the NFCA/USA Today poll or the USA Softball/ESPN.com poll. Tech is 10-4 in ranked matchups with wins over then-RV/24 Northwestern, No. 11/12 Missouri, No. 19/20 Kentucky, No. 14/9 Clemson (3), No. 22/20 UCF (2) and No. 2/3 Florida State (2). Virginia Tech currently sits at No. 3 in the RPI this week, behind only Oklahoma and Alabama.
SLAW BOMBS
Over the last seven games, Meredith Slaw has hit five home runs for the Hokies, including two on Saturday to lead the Hokies to the 5-4 extra-inning win over Virginia. Slaw had 4 RBI that game, including a solo shot to tie it up in the eighth. Slaw is currently on a 10-game hitting streak that dates back to the March 25 game at Pitt.
UP NEXT
The Hokies host Louisville this weekend in their final ACC series in Blacksburg this season. Game one will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday, both streaming on ACC Network Extra. Sunday will be a Noon first pitch on ACC Network.
