Bree Carrico and the Hokies finished their series against the Tar Heels on a high note on Sunday. (Virginia Tech athletics)

Virginia Tech softball trusts Zoe Yaeger to serve as its starting catcher, though she has another role that is arguably just as important — she is responsible for curating the team’s pregame playlist.“She has fire playlists,” second baseman Rachel Castine said.

On Saturday, head coach Pete D’Amour walked into the indoor facility adjacent to Tech Softball Park and noticed a speaker playing “Who Let the Dogs Out” by Baha Men while the team took batting practice. He said that’s when he knew the team would be OK, ahead of Tech’s 14-5 win to secure the North Carolina series.

Yaeger played “Who Let the Dogs Out” again ahead of the No. 16 Hokies’ 5-4 nailbiter of a win over the Tar Heels on Sunday. It culminated in Virginia Tech’s first sweep in a month, helping the squad rebound from three consecutive losses entering the weekend. 

As was the case with a rainbow on Friday, crediting Tech’s win to a song would be overly simplistic. The weekend brought two potent offenses to Blacksburg; as D’Amour said on Friday, North Carolina (31-18, 9-15 ACC) can smoke the softball. During all three games, the Tar Heels scored first, culminating in a seven-game stretch where Tech allowed its opponent to plate the first run of the game.

But all three times, the Hokies (41-9, 15-6) persevered to win. Castine slammed a two-run, go-ahead bomb in the bottom of the sixth inning to generate the decisive lead. The fifth-year senior — in maybe her final game at Tech Softball Park — sent the ball into a tree past the center-field fence, pumped her fist as she rounded third base and hit the scuba dance as she crossed home plate.

“At first, I thought my bat broke,” Castine said. “So, then I was like, ‘Ooh, that might not go over.’ But then once it did go over, I was pretty happy. And just remembering that was two runs to take the lead, which was kind of exciting for the team.”

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Castine wasn’t the only soon-to-be graduate who cleared the fence. Tech designated player Kylie Aldridge gave her team its initial lead in the top of the first with a home run that traveled 234 feet with a 74 mph exit velocity.

In her senior year, Aldridge is batting a career-high .385 with 17 doubles and eight homers. She has struck out in just four of her 143 at-bats.

“In our program, you are going to get better,” D’Amour said. “They’re good kids and they’re still working hard. They’re seeing the fruits of their work pay off now.”

Speaking of a lack of strikeouts: Virginia Tech struck out just five times across three games this weekend — once on Friday, four times on Saturday and zero on Sunday.

In the finale, Carolina starter Jil Livengood was fairly effective. She went all six innings and allowed the two aforementioned bombs; otherwise, she limited the Hokies to a 3-for-11 rate with runners on base. Livengood failed to strike out Virginia Tech, but she induced 14 flyouts, letting her defense work for her.

Bree Carrico and Emma Mazzarone once again split innings for the Hokies. Carrico threw the first four frames and left with the game tied at three runs apiece. Then, Mazzarone tossed 2 ⅔ and went into the seventh inning.

Ahead 5-4 in the seventh, Mazzarone forced Carolina shortstop Sydney Horton to foul out to Tech third baseman Jordan Lynch. Center fielder Sanaa Thompson then walked. Left fielder Lexie Roberts struck out swinging, though the third strike was a wild pitch and Thompson advanced to second. Then, D’Amour reinstated Carrico in the circle.

“It was a little nerve-wracking, I would say, but it was fun,” Carrico said. “I just knew I had to get it done for my team. They had scored runs to get us up, so I just knew I had to get us out of it.”

Even if it didn’t technically qualify as an intentional walk, Carrico came in and threw four pitches outside of the strike zone to Carolina first baseman, Tech transfer and .470 hitter Emily LeGette — who homered earlier in the game.

“LeGette’s on fire,” D’Amour said. “We didn’t want her to beat us.”

Then, Carrico hit third baseman Shelby Barbee with a pitch, loading the bases. With the tying run 60 feet away, Tar Heels right fielder Michele Tarpey popped up to Lynch at third base, ending the game.

“It was a good game and we played well and stuck with it,” D’Amour said. “Didn’t fold when they scored the run. Just was a good game for us.”

It was a good game for Virginia Tech, indeed — in a stretch of good games. The Hokies will conclude their regular season with a trip to Syracuse for three games, then travel northeast on I-81 and I-64 to Charlottesville for the ACC Tournament a week later. The first game in Central New York will take place on Friday at 3 p.m. ET on the ACC Network Extra.

Ahead of the next game, chances are they will play “Who Let the Dogs Out” once again.

Box Score: No. 16 Virginia Tech 5, North Carolina 4 

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