SALEM — No. 17 Virginia Tech softball punched back against Penn State and windy conditions alike en route to a 6-3 win at the Moyer Sports Complex on Saturday.
Trailing 3-0, the Nittany Lions (7-11) prevented the game from turning into a blowout. In the third inning, right fielder Haylie Brunson blasted a two-run shot to cut Penn State’s deficit to one run. One frame later, third baseman Maddie Gordon homered to tie the game.
Facing adversity, the Hokies (15-4) refused to shut down and let the game veer out of control. Third baseman Jordan Lynch knocked a solo home run to grasp a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning. During the next frame, center fielder Bre Peck doubled to bring around left fielder Jayden Jones, and then Peck capitalized on a fielding error to score from second.
“We had a lot of fight in us, and I think it was a lot of punching both ways, and we came out on top,” said first baseman Michelle Chatfield, whose first-inning homer granted Tech a 3-0 lead. “I’m really proud of that.”
Penn State — an NCAA Tournament team in 2024 for the first time in 13 years — had moments of strength against a Virginia Tech team which split a doubleheader against Villanova on Friday. The Nittany Lions limited their opponent to 2-for-15 with runners on base, including 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Still, the Hokies made enough plays to win.
Tech starter Emma Lemley tossed a season-high 135 pitches across all seven innings, accruing 12 strikeouts in the process. She allowed just four hits, though two were homers. Entering Saturday’s game, she had surrendered just one home run all season.
However, Lemley adjusted, incorporating her drop ball more while mixing up speeds and pitch styles. Following Penn State’s fourth-inning blast, the Nittany Lions did not collect a hit. Their only baserunners through the rest of the game were a hit batter in the fourth and a seventh-inning walk.
“As far as my pitching, I thought it got better as it went on,” Lemley told Tech Sideline afterward. “We started mixing; all of my pitches felt really crisp throughout the game. Some unlucky wind took the ball out of the park, but that’s OK. We made adjustments for it and we got better as the game went on.”
Right. The wind. Gusts blowing from left field towards right field were persistent throughout the contest. Second baseman Rachel Castine knocked a high fly ball in the sixth inning that appeared to be gone off the bat, only for wind blowing in to leave it right under the center fielder — who dropped it, granting Castine second base. It was cold; too, by the end of the game, the temperature dropped to 40 degrees, with a wind chill of 26.
“The wind is crazy,” Lemley said. “We thought Rachel’s ball was out off the bat, and all of a sudden it hit a wall and came right back. The wind takes some and it gives some to you. Sometimes it’s just one of those factors you can’t control. We just got to respond to it and try to beat it.”
Kylie Aldridge caught Lemley for the first time this season. Though Tech’s two main backstops split time, sophomore Zoe Yaeger had spent all of Lemley’s previous starts behind the dish. Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour said Aldridge’s at-bats from the previous day kept her in the lineup.
“She did really well behind the plate,” Lemley said. “She did a really good job of communicating with me about where the umpire said I was missing. I thought she did a really good job of framing and setting up some pitches. I haven’t gotten to throw to her in a while, so that was really fun.”
Chatfield finished the day with a team-high three RBI while Peck and Lynch each added one. Lynch — a freshman — has amassed a .377 batting average and 15 RBI through 19 games this season. As someone who had success as a freshman last year, Chatfield praised her teammate.
“When she’s confident in herself, she’s smashing the ball,” Chatfield said. “I’m super proud of her and everything she’s done.”
Virginia Tech will close out the Hokie Invite with a doubleheader against James Madison and Radford on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. ET. The games will begin a half hour later than originally scheduled to try and capitalize on slightly warmer weather in the afternoon.
Box Score: No. 17 Virginia Tech 6, Penn State 3