Virginia Tech Softball: Hokies Fall Victim to Shutout Loss Against Cal Golden Bears

No.14 Virginia Tech Hokies (39-8, 17-4 ACC) were unable to find the scoreboard against the California Golden Bears (32-18, 8-13) in the final game with a score, 4-0.

Both squads threw a different starting pitcher for each game of the series. Annabel Teperson, who made a relief appearance in game two, would get the start for Cal--and the Hokies, the southpaw Emma Mazzarone in her 19th appearance of the season.

Catcher Zoe Yaeger got the Hokies in the hit column with an infield single, beat out on a soft grounder back to the pitcher with two outs, before Teperson was able to find her last out to keep the frame scoreless.

Leadoff bat for the Golden Bears, Elon Butler, drew a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the third. Mazzarone then forced Lagi Quiroga to roll over into a 6-3 double play in which Annika Rohs got the force out at second herself. Acacia Anders singled for Cal, but Mazzarone got the final out, leveling the first inning with no runs and one hit apiece.

The Hokies were feet away from opening up the scoring in the top of the second. Kylie Aldridge took a free 60 feet with a leadoff walk, and infielder Rachel Castine singled to put two runners on. With one out and Aldridge at third--Trinity Martin softly hit the ball into the infield dirt, Aldridge broke for home on contact, and Anders just as quickly fired home just in the nick of time for Quiroga to apply the tag.

Impeccable plate vision was used to threaten Tech. Three walks drawn from Kaylee Pond, Mia Phillips, and Kayli Counts loaded the bass for the Golden Bears with one out. Mazzarone recorded her first K against the nine-hole Nailyn Marshall to reach a much more desirable two-out scenario.

Just needing one out, that gave Mazzarone the freedom to be more aggressive with her pitches, attacking Butler with strikes and forcing her to ground out to Rohs at short.

Six batters would all take their turn up at the plate in the third inning, and every batter was retired by Teperson and Mazzarone--neither wanting to give up the decisive run.

Teperson was not budging against a lineup that can become very unrelenting on a moment's notice. Aldridge singled in the top of the fourth, setting the farthest mark a Hokie would reach on the bases for the rest of the contest.

At this point, it started to feel like whoever found the coveted first run would be the team to pull away and win this contest. The Golden Bears came close to notching the first run in the fourth.

A leadoff single from the senior Pond added momentum to the Cal offense. Two wild pitches placed her 60 feet away from taking the lead. Counts drew a walk and easily took second on an uncontested throw with Pond eagerly waiting to score at third. Now with two runners in scoring position and two outs, Marshall looked to break through Mazzarone with no avail after a groundout to freshman Jordan Lynch in the hot corner.

Looking for any way to add a spark to the offense, Tech head coach Pete D'Amour pinch-hit Mazzarone in the fifth, but she was just one of three Hokies retired in succession for the half inning.

That was the last of the game action for Mazzarone, securing the no-contest line with four complete innings tossed--allowing just two hits on six Ks. D'Amour turned the ball over to Emma Lemley, who picked up the complete game shutout Saturday.

Lemley started her outing dominantly, blowing a pitch by Butler for a strikeout to start her affair. Singles from Quiroga and Tianna Bell looked uneventful, as only Quiroga was in scoring position. Scoring position did not matter for Pond--turning on Lemley's offer, sending a no-doubt shot soaring over right field. Giving Cal its first lead of the weekend, 3-0.

No pitching change was made from Cal, leaving Teperson in to finish what she had started. The correct decision from Cal head coach Chelsea Spencer, as Teperson was showing no signs of slowing down through the sixth. Allowing just one base runner with a leadoff single earned from Michelle Chatfield.

Lemley collected just four outs in her outing; a single from Marshall made the second base runner of the sixth, which was enough to bring in Cassie Grizzard for Lemley. Quiroga added an insurance run for Cal with an RBI single, which went as unearned for Grizzard.

The seventh frame was similar for the Hokies; a lone single from Trinity Martin was the only action the Hokies could muster. Unable to get a run across on five hits, reaching base as well in each inning except the third and fifth.

This makes the first time all season the Hokies were on the opposite end of a shutout, a stat in which they lead the nation in pitching-wise.

The Hokies, six games ago, were riding high on a 17-game win streak--now they are 3-3 in their last six. With the season finale set in five days at home against a top-10 Florida State squad, Tech will need to find a way to get back to its winning ways.

First pitch against the Seminoles will be at Tech Softball Park on Friday, May 2, at 6 p.m., with coverage available on the ACC Network.

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