The first thing to know about No. 10 Virginia Tech’s series defeat to Georgia Tech — culminating in a 9-7 loss at Tech Softball Park on Sunday — is that the Yellow Jackets are pesky.
Georgia Tech (29-23, 10-11 ACC) put up crooked numbers in the first, fourth and fifth innings, while adding another lone tally in the third. It hit 7-for-14 with two outs, so even when Virginia Tech’s pitchers managed to quickly draw the first couple outs of the inning, which happened several times, it managed to escape.
In the top of the first inning, Hokies starter Emma Mazzarone struck out leadoff batter and left fielder Alyssa Willer. She followed that up by inducing a ground ball to center fielder Holly Medina. Then, the game began to unravel.
Georgia Tech third baseman Gracyn Tucker singled, then first baseman Addison Leschber walked. That brought up center Reese Hunter, who slammed a bomb over the right-center field fence for a 3-0 lead.
The Hokies (38-8, 12-6 ACC) worked from behind in every game this weekend. On Friday, they pulled ahead for a run-rule win. On Saturday and Sunday, they did not.
“We battled back. I thought the first inning was tough to come back from,” Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour said. “They got a three-spot. They had a good game plan — credit to Georgia Tech.”
The fourth inning progressed in a nearly identical fashion, though it was preceded by a leadoff walk. Yellow Jackets second baseman Madison Duffel and shortstop Emma Simon both grounded out.
The second thing to know is that Georgia Tech’s pitchers mixed speeds better than most arms the Hokies faced this year. Sydnie Watts, Kenley Hilleary and Madalyn Johnson all shared time in the circle.
Watts went 1 ⅓ innings and gave up three runs, two hits and two walks. Hilleary picked up her second win in two days and limited Virginia Tech to two runs, two hits and three walks in 2 ⅔ frames in the circle. Johnson, the two-time reigning ACC Pitcher of the Week, earned her first save of the season and kept the Hokies from pulling ahead in three innings, though she walked five batters in the process.
Hilleary, especially, confounded the Hokies. After pitching on Saturday, she mixed speeds ranging from the low-50 mph range to the high-60s to hold her opponent in check.
“She was throwing different speeds, so she was doing a good job on the mound,” Virginia Tech center fielder Addison Foster said. “… She did a good job today, so the outcome isn’t what we wanted, but it’s all right.”
The third thing to know is that Virginia Tech battled back. The home team drew 11 walks on Sunday and put runners on base in six of the game’s seven innings.
Its first three scores — solo home runs from first baseman Michelle Chatfield and third baseman Jordan Lynch, plus an RBI triple courtesy of Foster — resulted in just one run. In the fifth, Chatfield knocked a single just through the left side of the infield, bringing around catcher Kylie Aldridge and left fielder Nora Abromavage and cutting Georgia Tech’s lead to 9-5.
Then came all of the drama in the seventh inning. First, designated player Zoe Yaeger and Chatfield grounded out to start the frame, putting two outs on the board in just four pitches. But second baseman Rachel Castine walked and right fielder Gaby Mizelle knocked a 245-foot, 74-mph blast over the left-center field fence and made the score 9-7.
“[Mizelle] has done amazing,” Foster said. “She progresses at the plate and she’s always looking for improvement. She was doing a really good job out there today, and we’re just really proud of her.”
For further chaos, the Hokies loaded the bases. Shortstop Annika Rohs drew her fourth walk of the afternoon, tying the program record. Foster orchestrated a long, drawn-out at-bat that resulted in Johnson hitting her in the helmet. Then, with the winning run at home plate, Lynch grounded out to the shortstop. Game over.
Georgia Tech won a series in Blacksburg for the first time since 2011.
“We fought back at the end, so we can’t be too down with that,” D’Amour said. “Tough weekend. We’ve just got to regroup.”
The fourth thing to know is that situational hitting doomed the Hokies in their two losses this weekend. D’Amour often says situational hitting is no different than other hitting, but Virginia Tech’s clips in clutch scenarios were suboptimal.
Altogether, it went 4-for-13 with runners on base on Sunday, including 1-for-7 with someone in scoring position. It left 10 runners on base. And when factoring in Saturday’s setback, the Hokies finished with a 6-for-30 clip with runners on base in their two defeats this weekend, including 1-for-12 with someone in scoring position. They stranded 18 runners during that span.
The fifth thing to know is the Hokies are about to face a team that is — in theory — better than Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets entered Sunday listed at No. 45 in the RPI. (For context, Virginia Tech sat No. 20.) Next weekend’s opponent, North Carolina, is 42nd, though it just sustained a sweep at the hands of Florida State.
Before then, though, the Hokies will play their first and only midweek game this season at Tech Softball Park on Wednesday against Liberty at 6 p.m. ET (ACC Network Extra).
“It’s a good learning moment for us,” Foster said. “We got down in all three games, honestly, and we just need to stay in the fight and keep pushing. We’ll have better outcomes as the season goes on.”
Box Score: Georgia Tech 9, No. 10 Virginia Tech 7
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