Virginia Tech Softball: Hokies Capture 17th Straight With Sweep over Notre Dame

It only took five innings for the No.12 Virginia Tech Hokies (36-5, 14-1 ACC) to take game three against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (19-24-1, 6-12) with a final score of 15-1.

The Indiana transfer Sophie Kleiman would get the start in the circle for Tech, entering the contest with a 1.19 ERA and a 9-0 record. Retiring the first three Fighting Irish bats in order, Kleiman would get her offense up to the plate in a hurry.

The Hokies would ultimately send 12 batters up in the first, after outfielder Cori McMillan would open up the offense for the Hokies with a monster solo shot to right field. Tech was running wild on the base paths, allowing both Michelle Chatfield and Bre Peck to score on separate wild pitches.

Brianne Weiss, the freshman for Notre Dame, would only record one out against the Hokies in her outing, a strikeout against second baseman Rachel Castine. The Fighting Irish would turn towards Kami Kamzik to work through the game.

Three more Hokies would collect RBIs in the first---Singles from designated player Kylie Aldridge and Chatfield would bring in two more. Trinity Martin, who entered the first to pinch hit, would also connect with a three-run home run in the inning, her second of the season to tally the lead up to 8-0 after the first frame.

Three base runners combined from both squads in the second inning did not add any runs to either side's scoreboard.

A leadoff single from freshman Rebecca Eckart would be the start of a rally in which Notre Dame would account for their sole run in the game.

Following the single, nine-hole hitter Christina Willemssen forced herself into a full-count before being awarded first base on ball four. A fielder's choice rolled over from Emily Tran would put her on base and send Eckart back to the dugout. Kleiman would let a pitch skirt away from her allowing both runners to move up into scoring position.

With one out, infielder Caroline O'Brien would similarly roll over a pitch, this time, with Willemssen just 60 feet away at third, she would have time to come in to score for the Fighting Irish, lessening the deficit, 8-1.

Heading to the bottom of the third, Notre Dame would make another pitching change, electing for Shannon Becker to keep the game as close as possible. Tech would waste no time making Becker uncomfortable; a leadoff walk from Annika Rohs and an ensuing stolen base put the pressure on.

Chatfield sent a double into left field---Hit just hard enough to force Rohs into waiting at second to see if the ball would be caught or not, allowing her just to advance to third on the double. Becker forfeited another walk to load the bases but just as quickly would find her first two outs of the inning.

With both teams looking for their desired result out of the bases-loaded two-out scenario, Tech would come away successful. Center fielder Bre Peck singled to begin the two-out rally for the Hokies, cashing in Rohs and McMillan in the process breaking the double digit barrier, 10-1.

Aldridge proceeded with a single of her own, allowing another run to come across and sending up catcher Zoe Yaeger with two runners on in hopes of extending the two-out rally. Yaeger would do just that after one pitch, blasting a three-run home run to keep pouring on the Fighting Irish and ending the outing for Becker, changing to Micaela Kastor as the fourth pitcher in the circle for Notre Dame.

Martin would welcome her into the contest with her second home run of the game. Going back-to-back with Yaeger and forcing every Fighting Irish pitcher to suffer a home run today. This home run would cap off the scoring for the Hokies at 15-1.

Notre Dame would look to continue the scoring momentum with both Rachel Allen and Anna Holloway reaching with no outs. Kleiman needed a fast out, and she found it, striking out Kaia Cortes for her third and final strikeout of the game. In a more comfortable scenario with one out, Kleiman, who throws with so much drop on her pitch, forces yet another groundout to Jordan Lynch, who completed the 5-3 double play.

A lone hit from both squads in the bottom of the fourth, and top of the fifth respectively, ended this game in a hurry after notching 16 runs combined in the first three frames---Going scoreless in the final two before the game was called due to run rule.

The red-hot Hokies stay just as is, building onto their now 17-game win streak, which extends past a month starting on March 12th against the Kentucky Wildcats, which leads all D1 programs in the nation. Tech collected its fifth straight ACC win on the season along the way.

Tech also punched its ticket to this year's ACC tournament along with Florida State and Clemson.

Leaving the comfort of Blacksburg, the Hokies will have back-to-back road ACC series against Pitt and Cal in the next two weeks. The series against Pitt will start Thursday at 6 p.m. with coverage available on the ACC Network.

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