Bre Carrico was outstanding as the Hokies beat the Cavaliers in Charlottesville on Saturday. (Virginia Tech athletics)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — On Friday, No. 12 Virginia Tech softball made eight outs before its first hit of the game against No. 21 Virginia. On Saturday, Hokies center fielder Addison Foster bucked the trend.

The center fielder singled into left field on the third pitch of the game. Then the Stetson transfer stole second base. She ran to third on a wild pitch, then Cavaliers catcher Reagan Hickey’s throw sailed into the outfield and Foster ran home. Before Tech starting pitcher Bree Carrico took the circle, she had a 1-0 lead.

“We came out more intense today from the get-go. So, that’s what I wanted to see,” Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour said. “We had a bad day last night, and [my question was] how were we gonna react? And we played pretty well.”

The Hokies (35-6, 10-4 ACC) snagged runs in the second and third innings en route to a 5-2 victory at Palmer Park. Though Virginia (33-7, 10-6 ACC) held them scoreless in all of the final four innings, Carrico limited her opponent through her complete game effort.

After two quick outs in the top of the second inning, Foster’s second at-bat of the game resulted in a single to right field. Third baseman Jordan Lynch followed with a single of her own. Then, first baseman Michelle Chatfield singled through the left side of the inning, bringing around Foster and Lynch and making the score 3-0.

Tech’s final two runs came in the third, when shortstop Annika Rohs knocked a single up the middle to score designated player Kylie Aldridge. Finally, Foster added an RBI to her box score tally with a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring second baseman Rachel Castine.

On the other side, Carrico gave up two runs — though only one was earned. The first came off a second-inning RBI double by Virginia right fielder Madison Greene to plate second baseman Alex Call. The second came when first baseman Macee Eaton launched a sacrifice fly into left field, scoring shortstop Jade Hylton.

Otherwise, though, Carrico was effective. She sometimes struggled with control — she walked four batters and just 79 of her 130 pitches hit the strike zone — but worked with enough of a cushion that the game was never really in doubt. 

“[Carrico] got out of some jams,” D’Amour said. “She got stronger as the game went on and mixed speeds. She had a good day.”

The Hokies’ pitching and defense limited Virginia to seven hits in two games this weekend — four on Friday and three on Saturday. The Cavaliers won the first game of the set, but did not exactly display offensive prowess in the process. On Saturday, the home team hit 3-for-23 as a squad — including 1-for-9 with runners on base and 1-for-4 with someone in scoring position.

“Virginia can hit,” D’Amour said. “We’re making pitches and keeping them off balance. We’re throwing well right now.”

On the other hand, Virginia Tech hit 10-for-29, including 5-for-15 with runners on base and 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The away side left 11 runners on base, but pushed enough players across home plate to tie the series.

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Foster, Chatfield and Aldridge all finished the game with three hits. Foster also added a game-high two runs. 

“[Foster’s efforts were a] continuation of the year,” D’Amour said. “Has good at-bats and swings at good pitches.”

Abromavage added another hit and fielded four balls in left field, including a web-gem diving catch in foul territory to end the game. Altogether, Tech caught 12 fly balls and its defense didn’t finish with any errors.

“I thought [the defense] was great,” Carrico said. “I needed them to step up. Obviously, we didn’t do well yesterday on offense, but they came in today in the field just working their butts off for me.”

The difference came in Virginia’s pitching. The Cavaliers rely on two arms the most: seniors Eden Bigham and Courtney Layne. 

Bigham held the Hokies in check on Friday, lasting 4 ⅓ frames and giving up just one run. On Saturday, Layne yielded six hits and three runs in just two frames. Behind her, Taylor Smith walked six batters and surrendered the final two runs, which also helped Tech’s case.

Last weekend, the Hokies dropped their first matchup against Clemson, then clawed back to take two of three games. This weekend, they lost their first game of the set, then won Game 2.

“That’s what softball is,” D’Amour said. “You’re not gonna be undefeated, and you’re not gonna hit .1000 and you’re not gonna have a 0.00 ERA. So, you come back the next day and do your best and see what happens.”

Virginia Tech has an opportunity to recreate last weekend and secure two of three games against Virginia. The two teams will play their final Commonwealth Clash game of the season on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.

Box Score: No. 12 Virginia Tech 5, No. 21 Virginia 2 

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