Ahead by three in the top of the sixth, No. 14 South Carolina placed Emma Friedel in the circle. Virginia Tech right fielder Kylie Aldridge sent her first pitch deep over the center-field fence to cut the deficit to two.
The No. 21 Hokies weren’t done. First baseman Michelle Chatfield singled, Friedel hit third baseman Jordan Lynch with a pitch and catcher Zoe Yaeger walked to load the bases. Tech second baseman Gaby Mizelle walked for another run, prompting Gamecocks head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard to reinstate starting pitcher Jori Heard with her team up 4-3.
Virginia Tech left fielder Nora Abromavage then knocked a long sacrifice fly, bringing around Lynch. Once Mizelle stole second base, starting pitcher and then-designated player Emma Mazzarone tripled down the left-field line to gain a 6-4 advantage.
For good measure, shortstop Annika Rohs reached on an error, then stole second to draw a throw down the field, allowing pinch runner Jordan Bishop — in Mazzarone’s place — to take home. An Aldridge double, which scored Rohs, was the icing on the cake.
With their 8-4 win at Beckham Field on Thursday, the Hokies (1-0) have won all eight season openers of D’Amour’s tenure.
“I’m especially excited that we pulled out a win here,” Aldridge told Tech Sideline after the game.
And the Gamecocks (0-1) were no slouch. They started the 2025 campaign 20-0 and came one win away from a Women’s College World Series berth. Woodard spent five years coaching Charlotte and beat the Hokies all three times she played them. She took the South Carolina job ahead of 2025, brought six players with her and D1Softball named her its coach of the year.
Yet, on Thursday, Tech’s three pitchers — Mazzarone, freshman Addyson Fisher and sophomore Bree Carrico — stranded 10 runners on base. South Carolina’s leadoff hitters went 4-for-7, but it hit 2-for-17 with runners on base, including 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Mazzarone held her own in the circle through the first four frames. She allowed just two hits and a run, accruing five strikeouts and two walks. Of her 78 pitches, 45 hit the strike zone. Fisher and Carrico, both making their first collegiate appearances, finished the final three innings and pitched well enough to vault the Hokies into the win column.
The Hokies weren’t flawless offensively for the first five frames, but they eventually scraped runs. They hit 3-for-13 with runners on base, with all of those hits coming with runners in scoring position. Eight Virginia Tech players reached base across eight hits and two walks, led by Aldridge, who was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.
Mizelle started at second base, the only true freshman in the starting lineup. She hit 1-for-3 with an RBI single, a walk, a stolen base and a run. Fisher allowed two earned runs in the circle, but found outs when she needed them in one frame of work.
“[The freshmen are] talented kids,” D’Amour said. “We threw them into the fire right away against a ranked team. The experience will pay dividends as we continue the season.”
Indeed. The Hokies will build further experience in Columbia, S.C., on Friday with a doubleheader against Binghamton — which qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2025 — and Winthrop. They will conclude their weekend stretch on Saturday with rematches against Binghamton and South Carolina.