SALEM — Avery Layton cruised through five innings of Virginia Tech softball’s 7-0 win over James Madison at the Moyer Sports Complex on Friday.
The true freshman was efficient; she allowed just three hits and no runs while striking out four of the 18 batters she faced. Of the 63 pitches she tossed, 41 were strikes.
“Thought she was really good,” Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour said. “... No walks but the defense worked. She worked ahead and it was a good game for her.”
All of the Hokies’ (18-2) runs came in the first three innings. Left fielder Nora Abromavage nicked a two-out single into center field, scoring right fielder Kylie Aldridge in the first inning.
The next frame brought five more runs; second baseman Gaby Mizelle homered, first baseman Michelle Chatfield scored shortstop Annika Rohs with a single, Aldridge singled home Chatfield from second, then pinch runner Jordan Bishop scored after another RBI single from Abromavage. In the third frame up 5-0, center fielder Addison Foster smacked a home run down the right-field line, bringing around herself and third baseman Jordan Lynch.
The seven runs of cushion combined with shutout pitching allowed D’Amour to work 16 position players against the Dukes (9-10), either as starters, pinch hitters, pinch runners or defensive substitutions. Plus, Sophie Kleiman entered the circle for the last two innings in Layton’s place.
“Everybody was ready to play. We’re very versatile and it gives us different aspects,” D’Amour said. “We can play for defense; we can play for offense. You can do a lot of different things when we have a talented roster.”
But Layton set the tone. The Rossville, Ind., native remained composed when she surrendered hits in the first, second and fourth frames, resulting in her shutout effort. One month into her first collegiate season, she is morphing into one of Virginia Tech’s most reliable arms.
“I feel like I’ve changed so much as a pitcher coming onto campus,” Layton said. “My pitches have developed so much I can move both directions now, and that really has been due to [pitching coach] Josh [Johnson] and all the other pitchers having me and just having my back, keeping me motivated to come play softball every day.”
James Madison split its time between three pitchers: Allie Braly, Taylor Johnson and Kirsten Fleet. Braly went the first 1 ⅔ innings and picked up the loss, allowing six hits and five runs during that time. Johnson surrendered the final two runs across 1 ⅓ frames. Fleet mopped up the final three innings and shut down the Hokies, who already held a seven-run lead by the time she entered.
“All of [James Madison’s pitchers] had different looks,” D’Amour said. “Fleet threw really well. … We were just ready. We had a good game plan for all of them.”
Tech’s newcomers once again contributed, as is often the case. Foster, a Stetson transfer, and Mizelle, a freshman, both homered in the contest. Plus, Layton’s effort was just her seventh career start.
“I think it’s more of a mental adjustment of dealing with failure,” D’Amour said. “Some of these kids don’t deal with failure, and when you come here, you’re gonna fail. It’s more of a mental aspect than anything.”
And it’s not like the team’s returners have done nothing. Namely, Lynch is on a 15-game hitting streak and Abromavage has reached base safely in 19 straight contests.
The newcomers and returners combined to hit 8-for-13 with runners on base on Friday, including 5-for-8 with someone in scoring position. The effort marked the Hokies’ 11th consecutive win and an 18-2 start, the best start to a season through 20 games under D’Amour.
“One game at a time. We’ve improved since day one,” D’Amour said. “So, we’ve got to come out tomorrow and be ready against [Penn State and] Radford, and then see what happens the next game.”
Three more games await Virginia Tech in the Hokie Invite, including a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game is against Penn State at 3:30 p.m. ET, followed by a contest against Radford soon after.
Box Score: No. 11 Virginia Tech 7, James Madison 0