No team in the country has currently won more games in a row than Virginia Tech softball. No team in the country has tossed more shutouts, either.
The No. 12 Hokies (35-5, 13-1 ACC) handled Notre Dame in both games of a doubleheader at Tech Softball Park on Saturday — 5-0 and 12-4 (in five innings) — to clinch their fifth ACC series win of 2025. In the process, they earned their 16th consecutive victory and 18th shutout of the season.
“We’re just locked in — every pitch, every game, every day,” Virginia Tech second baseman Rachel Castine said. “I think that helps. We’re playing as a team, we love each other and we have each other’s backs.”
Castine combined to go 3-for-5 across both games, in addition to two walks and a hit-by-pitch. She has a batting average of .284 from the third slot in the order, following a season in which she missed all but nine games with a broken wrist.
“It means a lot that Coach Pete [D’Amour] trusts me and my ability to perform,” Castine said. “I really couldn’t have done it without the team. I think I was struggling mentally at the end of last season, just trying to get back with the rehab and everything. So, they were very supportive.”
Game 1: Virginia Tech 5, Notre Dame 0
Emma Lemley once again made dominance look routine — she cruised to a complete game, three-hit shutout and struck out seven batters in the process.
The senior went all seven frames and tossed 114 pitches. She allowed no more than two baserunners in any frame. In the process, she walked no batters, though two reached on errors.
“[What worked was] being dialed in pitch to pitch and just trusting my spin and trusting my defense behind me that, if needed, I could go out of the zone,” Lemley said. “For the most part, they were aggressive, so I could stay in the zone how I needed to.”
Lemley had to work her way out of trouble a couple of times. In the second frame, she allowed a single and misplayed a ground ball, putting runners on first and second. In response, she accumulated three strikeouts. The Irish (19-23-1, 6-11) put two runners on via a hit by pitch and single in the seventh, but she wiggled out of the jam.
The Forest, Va., native has seven of Tech’s shutouts this season, picking up four no-hitters — including two perfect games — in the process.
“It’s really awesome that we have so much depth in the bullpen — that no matter who we go to, we can trust each other that we’re gonna get out of that situation if needed,” Lemley said. “Our goal is to go out there and keep putting zeroes up on the board every inning, and I think we’ve done a good job this year of doing that.”
Irish starter Brianne Weiss threw eight consecutive balls to start the game, then gave up two runs in the first inning. She settled down — those were the only runs she surrendered — but it gave Tech a chance to pounce from the jump.
Those two runs came from a single from third baseman Jordan Lynch, which scored right fielder Cori McMillan and first baseman Michelle Chatfield.
The Hokies notched other runs in the fifth and sixth, when Lynch knocked an RBI double and Castine blasted a two-run homer.
“[Irish pitcher Kami Kamzik] beat me in the first at bat, so it was more of a revenge at bat,” Castine said. “I was just trying to drive the ball up the middle, and that’s what I did.”
Tech struggled to move runners over; it went 4-for-15 with runners on base, including 1-for-9 with them in scoring position.
With a sixth-inning double, Peck notched her 200th career hit. This came less than a week following her breaking the program’s all-time career home run record, blasting three bombs on Tuesday against Charlotte.
Game 2: Virginia Tech 12, Notre Dame 4 (5 innings)
Tech hit much better with runners on base and exploded for six runs in the fifth frame to trigger the run-rule ending.
With one out in the fifth, Lynch and catcher Zoe Yaeger worked walks. Then left fielder Lyla Blackwell singled down the right field like to score Lynch. One batter later, shortstop Annika Rohs singled around Yaeger.
Irish arm Shannon Becker walked McMillan, then Chatfield hit another station-to-station single, scoring Blackwell. The next two batters ended the game; Castine walked in Rohs, then designated player Kylie Aldridge singled in McMillan and Chatfield.
Like in the first game, the Hokies grabbed two runs in the first. However, unlike the first game, they followed that up with two runs in both the second and third frames, too.
In the first, Aldridge flew out to center field, bringing McMillan home. Then Peck knocked an RBI groundout. The second frame brought a two-run blast courtesy of McMillan. The third, for good measure, constituted a two-run double from Yaeger.
The offensive difference for the Hokies was runners on base. They were 8-for-15 with a base filled, including 6-for-12 with at least one runner in scoring position.
Emma Mazzarone went the distance in the circle, allowing six hits and four runs across five frames. She walked two batters and struck out nine — her second most of the season, following a 10-punchout performance against Southern Utah on February 22.
The Hokies have yet to approach their longest winning streak in program history — they won 33 consecutive games in 1999 — but are playing their best softball of the season.
“We’re playing well right now. We’re ready to get some rest and play tomorrow,” Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour said. “We never talk about streaks or any of that stuff — it’s just play well and come out prepared and ready to win.”
The series finale against Notre Dame will take place on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.