Virginia Tech pitcher Emma Mazzarone took a no-hit bid into the fifth inning of her shutout at Tech Softball Park on Friday, fanning eight batters in the process of the No. 14 Hokies’ 10-0 run-rule win over NC State.
The lefty tossed all five frames and surrendered just two hits and a walk in the final inning. After she walked eight batters last Friday against Duke and four more on Sunday, she stayed around the strike zone — and the Wolfpack (19-11, 1-3 ACC) had no answers.
“She threw strikes,” Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour said. “She’s always had talent. … When she’s around the strike zone, it’s very hard to hit.”
Mazzarone knew she was chasing the no-hitter as she picked up the game’s final three outs. NC State catcher Hannah Church knocked a one-out single to end the bid, but Mazzarone ended the game unscathed.
“I started to think about it in the fifth inning, and then was like, ‘Dang it,’” Mazzarone said. “[Church] hit that changeup, and kudos to her.”
The Hokies (26-4, 2-2 ACC) were effective on offense. They grabbed one run in the first inning, three in the second, five in the third and another in the fourth.
Tech catcher Zoe Yaeger doubled around center fielder Addison Foster in the first inning. One inning later, third baseman Jordan Lynch took the plate with the bases loaded, then cleared them with a double to make the score 4-0. Designated player Kylie Aldridge singled around first baseman Michelle Chatfield and pinch runner Lyla Blackwell in the third for two more runs.
Second baseman Rachel Castine singled to build a 7-0 lead. Lynch tripled in Foster and Castine for a 9-0 advantage. For good measure, Aldridge smacked a solo shot 230 feet into the parking lot to make the score a decisive 10-0.
B4 | 230 feet blast from Kylie Aldridge. 💥
Hokies 10, Wolfpack 0 pic.twitter.com/Sg2Deg2Px9— Virginia Tech Softball (@HokiesSoftball) March 20, 2026
Lynch finished with a game-high five RBI via a double and triple.
“I knew they were gonna throw a lot of strikes, so I went up there just thinking, ‘Get a strike that I can drive’ — and that’s pretty much what I did,” Lynch said.
The sophomore is hitting .465 on the season.
“[The season has] been good,” Lynch said. “I’m just really excited to keep rolling. I’m hungry to get better every single day at practice, so I’m really excited for the rest of the year.”
NC State split the game in the circle between starter Rylee Wyman and relievers Charli Orsini and Kayla Fekel. Wyman threw the first 1 ⅔ innings and gave up five hits and four runs. Orsini went the next 1 ⅓ innings with six more hits and five additional runs, though she tallied the Wolfpack’s only strikeout. Fekel cleaned up the last inning and allowed the final run — Aldridge’s blast.
Across those three arms, Tech hit .500 in crucial situations. It hit 8-for-16 with runners on base, including 6-for-12 with them in scoring position. Altogether, the Hokies notched 12 hits off a Wolfpack staff that hit the strike zone and only surrendered one walk.
After they played their first 29 games away from home, the Hokies returned to Tech Softball Park on Friday. They will play two more games against NC State this weekend, then embark on the rest of ACC play. Game 2 will take place Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
“It’s awesome,” Mazzarone said. “We look up in the stands and see everyone we know. The same people come a lot, so I think that’s cool to see and good to be home in March.”