Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG - Despite some timely hitting in the first game and a dominant start from sophomore Carrie Eberle in the second, Virginia Tech couldn't get a win as Notre Dame took both games of the Saturday doubleheader at Tech Softball Park.
The Hokies (13-20, 2-9) dropped a tough 5-4 loss in the first game before falling in extra innings, 3-1, in the second game to the Irish (23-12, 7-4 ACC). Senior Jessie Mehr went 2 for 5 with a home run and two runs scored over the two games.
NOTRE DAME 3, VIRGINIA TECH 1 (8)
Eberle retired the first 15 batters she faced; two by strikeout and 13 by groundout. In consecutive innings, sophomore third baseman Taylor Clark fielded every groundout in the fourth and junior second baseman Olivia Lattin registered every out in the fifth.
After inducing another groundout to start the sixth, Eberle allowed her first hit of the game. She bounced back immediately after the base hit to retire the side on two groundouts, ending the threat. Junior Emma Strouth reached on a fielding error by the shortstop with one out in the bottom half of the inning but the Hokies couldn't push her across.
After both sides went scoreless in the seventh inning, Notre Dame struck first in the top of the eighth on an infield RBI single. Before the end of the inning, two more runs came across for Irish on a single through the right side that extended their lead to 3-0.
Tech wouldn't go down without a fight though as freshman Cana Davis led off the bottom of the eighth with her first career double. She moved to third on a groundout and came home on a sac fly from junior Emma Strouth that cut the deficit to two runs, 3-1. It wouldn't be enough though as the next batter popped up to end the game.
NOTRE DAME 5, VIRGINIA TECH 4
The Irish took an early 3-0 lead entering the bottom of the second but the Hokies pieced together a big inning. With one out, freshman Sammi Miller reached first on a base hit up the middle and later moved to second on a ground out. Mehr then smacked a base hit through the left side with two down that scored Miller and made it a two-run game, 3-1.
After Clark's base hit gave the Hokies runners on first and second, senior Caroline Schoenewald roped a triple the opposite way off the right field wall that cleared the bases and tied the game up at 3-3.
Notre Dame used two solo home runs, one in the third and one in the fifth, to go ahead 5-3 and looked to extend their in the top of the sixth. With two runners on and two outs, reliever Keely Rochard's first pitch was lifted to right field and looked like it would have gone over Strouth's head in right. On the run going towards the wall, Strouth reached out and made an impressive catch in right that saved at least a run and ended the inning.
With one out in the home half of the sixth, Mehr lifted her second home run of the season over the left fence that cut to Notre Dame lead to one.
After Rochard, who tossed 3.0 innings of scoreless relief and struck out four, struck out the side in the top of the seventh, the Hokies came to bat but couldn't extend the game, falling 5-4.