The Virginia Tech softball team began their sixth consecutive NCAA appearance confident yet slightly wounded after winning just five of its last 11 games. On Friday afternoon at the Tuscaloosa Regional, the Hokies rode solid pitching from Emma Lemley and good at-bats to beat the Belmont Bruins 5-0.
This game figured to be a pitcher's duel. The Bruins entered the tournament second in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings with 8.67 and the Hokies were 10th with 7.64. Belmont's star pitcher, junior Maya Johnson, started Friday with a nation's best 355 strikeouts and just 19 walks to go with a 23-4 record and a 1.24 ERA.
But the Hokies ended the regular season tied for second in the nation in home runs, and Jordan Lynch wasted no time showing Belmont why. The third baseman hit a one-out homer down the right field line to give Tech a quick 1-0 lead.
Lynch was at it again the bottom of the third, driving in Cory McMillan with a single to center. Catcher Zoe Yaeger followed it up with a triple to right field and Kylie Aldridge kept it going with a two-run homer to right to increase the Hokies' lead to 5-0 after three. The Hokies cruised from there.
For her part, Lemley came out strong, striking out five through four hitless innings. The Bruins threatened in the fifth, loading the bases on a single, hit by pitch and walk, but Lemley ultimately struck out the side to end the threat. Overall, Lemley tossed six innings, giving up just one hit while striking out nine on a fairly economical 95 pitches. Cassie Grizzard finished things off with a scoreless seventh.
Johnson gave up five runs, all earned, on five hits in five innings of work for Belmont. She struck out six and walked one.
With the victory over the Bruins, the Hokies will play on Saturday at noon EDT against Alabama for a chance to move straight to the Regional Championship.