Virginia Tech dropped two games to LSU in Baton Rouge this weekend. (Virginia Tech athletics)

No. 18 Virginia Tech softball faced a reality check against No. 7 LSU this weekend, culminating in a 7-4 loss on Sunday in Baton Rouge.

The Hokies (8-2) didn’t look bad on Sunday. At times, they were in lockstep with their SEC opponent. However, they hit 3-for-16 with runners on base, including 2-for-10 with them in scoring position, which was their downfall.

“I’m proud of the fight that we showed today,” Tech head coach Pete D’Amour said. “[Pitcher] Emma [Lemley] gave us a chance to win and we were one swing away from tying it in the seventh against a team a lot of people pegged for OKC.”

The Tigers (10-0) tallied six runs in the second and third innings on a series of unfortunate events for Tech; four of LSU’s first six runs were unearned.

In that stretch, designated player Maddox McKee scored on a fielder’s choice. Then left fielder Jadyn Laneaux crossed the plate after a single to put the home side up 2-0 after two. Catcher Maci Bergeron scored on a double at the start of the third while first baseman Tori Edwards came home on a fielding error and Laneaux was plated again after a sacrifice fly. 

However, Virginia Tech punched back. Down 2-0, catcher Zoe Yaeger hit an RBI single to cut the deficit in half. And trailing 6-1 in the fourth, left fielder Michelle Chatfield blasted a home run.

Following another insurance run from the Tigers, Tech second baseman Jayden Jones hit a two-run homer to straightaway center — the first of her collegiate career.

Jones’ dinger cut LSU’s lead to three in the final frame. Later on, Yaeger and center fielder Bre Peck reached to put runners on first and second with one out. Though right fielder Cori McMillan grounded out, she advanced both runners into scoring position. A home run could have tied — and extended — the game, but Chatfield grounded out to end it.

Tech notched 10 hits and rallied its bats against Tigers arm Sydney Berzon, who entered Sunday’s game with a 3-0 record and 0.41 earned run average. The Hokies’ downfall was their failure to move runners over. They left eight runners on base in a three-run game, including runners on second and third in the fifth and seventh innings.

Hokies pitcher Emma Lemley went the distance against a top-10 team, striking out seven while surrendering 10 hits and seven runs — three earned. Entering Sunday, Lemley had thrown two consecutive perfect games and had allowed just one hit — a bunt single — in three outings this season. 

Berzon was just a little bit more consistent than Lemley, though as her pitch count reached triple digits, she allowed the Hokies to rally. The Tigers’ option yielded four runs — three earned — and walked one batter while striking out nine. 

Against its strongest pitching competition of the season, Tech’s bats went cold. Jones scored two of its runs, while Chatfield and shortstop Annika Rohs added one. The middle of the order — Peck, McMillan and Chatfield — combined to hit 2-for-12. Aside from the underclassmen at the start of the lineup in Jones, Jordan Lynch and Yaeger, the Hokies struggled to get on base.

Statistically, the two teams’ matchup was fairly even. The Hokies tallied four extra-base hits to the Tigers’ three. Tech’s leadoff batters hit 3-for-7 while LSU’s went 3-for-6. Both teams finished with 10 hits and only three earned runs. The difference was on the margins, where LSU pulled ahead.

D’Amour always schedules tough teams in the nonconference slate. At best, quality wins will boost the team’s résumé for the NCAA Tournament selection committee. At worst, the team learns a lot about itself and how it can improve. Either way, losses to highly-ranked teams won’t hurt their rating percentage index score too much — a computer metric that ranks teams based on record and strength of schedule. 

“The adversity we felt this weekend will benefit us moving forward,” D’Amour said.

Virginia Tech won’t sandwich a game in the middle of the week between road trips to Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It will make another trek down south for a five-game stretch from Feb. 21-23, starting with a doubleheader Friday against Drake and No. 12 Alabama.

Box Score: No. 7 LSU 7, No. 18 Virginia Tech 4