Jordan Lynch was 3-for-3 with four RBI for Virginia Tech in Wednesday's victory over Liberty. (Virginia Tech athletics)

Following a ranked series sweep over Stanford with a packed home crowd all weekend, Virginia Tech softball had to remain focused. A midweek game against a ranked team with sub-60 temperatures created a prime opportunity to lose momentum.

No matter. The No. 11 Hokies disposed of No. 24 Liberty 6-0 on Wednesday behind a shutout performance from pitcher Emma Lemley and home runs by right fielder Cori McMillan and third baseman Jordan Lynch. They’ve now won 10 games in a row, too.

“It’s easy to get into a lull after you sweep a big series against a really good team, like we did last weekend,” Lemley said. “I thought we did a really good job of restarting ourselves and coming out with a fresh look.”

Lemley surrendered a leadoff double and then walked two Flames (31-7) batters in the first frame, loading the bases with one out. She then struck out shortstop Savanah Whatley and induced a ground ball from center fielder KK Madrey to escape the jam.

“I had trouble finding the umpire’s zone in that first inning,” Lemley said. “I usually never walk two people in the first inning of a game, but I just couldn’t seem to find his zone.”

Lemley then settled down to complete the game in the circle for the Hokies (29-5), allowing three hits and no runs. Though she walked four batters, she struck out nine. Of her 128 pitches, 75 were strikes.

“[Lemley’s] command was better,” Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour said. “She was around the strike zone more than she was in the first inning and just spun the ball a little bit better.”

Lemley has thrown four no-hitters this season, the third of which came at Liberty on February 26. In eight career appearances against the Flames, she has allowed just 12 runs across 38 innings pitched.

McMillan hit a leadoff home run to immediately put Tech on the scoreboard. If McMillan homering sounds familiar, that is because it is; she has a team-high 15 blasts this season. The last time the Hokies played Liberty, McMillan hit a leadoff homer. Plus, her previous at bat on Sunday was a home run — a walk-off to propel Tech over Stanford.

Per Damian Salas of Virginia Tech athletics, McMillan is the first Hokies player to hit a walk-off home run in one game and begin the next with a home run.

Center fielder Bre Peck singled in second baseman Rachel Castine later in the first, adding to McMillan’s effort. Two frames later, Lynch hit a three-run homer, bringing around Peck and designated player Kylie Aldridge. 

The inning before Lynch’s home run, the Flames replaced Elena Escobar with Paige Bachman in the circle, giving a drop ball-heavy look, forcing the Tech batters to adjust.

“I thought I really needed to get under the ball,” Lynch said. “Then, I swung and missed at the first one and was like, ‘OK, let me reset and get the next one.’ Then, I hit it and it felt really good.”

In the fifth, Lynch singled around Aldridge again. She finished with a team-high four RBI on Wednesday.

“She’s gotten more confidence because you don’t know how you’re going to play as a freshman,” D’Amour said. “It’s just a new game to them, and I think she’s more comfortable now.”

Lynch has a .385 batting average in her freshman season, tied for second-highest on the team.

“I feel like I’ve seen most of my improvements on the mental side of the game,” Lynch said. “I was really stressing myself out if I didn’t get a hit. I just had to refocus and understand that you’re going to get out sometimes.”

The Flames are a very strong team and the Hokies beat them twice this season — no small feat. Add that to the sweep over then-No. 16 Stanford last weekend and other ranked wins this season against then-No. 22 Northwestern, then-No. 21 Alabama, two over then-No. 23 Virginia and then-No. 23 Kentucky. Virginia Tech is building an increasingly strong résumé entering the last month-plus of the season.

But to D’Amour, none of that matters for now. The Hokies will turn their attention to a three-game set in Raleigh against NC State this weekend and focus on what they can control.

“If you are not ready to play this weekend, NC State can beat you,” D’Amour said. “If you look back, which we don’t do a lot, those games that we just won are really good games. But if you lose, those games don't mean anything anymore. They know that. It just takes one time of not being ready and you lose a ballgame — so you can’t do that.”

Box Score: No. 11 Virginia Tech 6, No. 24 Liberty 0