BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Elon University softball team earned a doubleheader sweep at Virginia Tech on Wednesday, April 5. The Phoenix took game one from the Hokies, 4-3, and pulled out a game two win by a score of 7-5 at Tech Softball Stadium.
Elon (23-13) won its third straight game with the pair of victories at the Hokies (15-21). The wins were the first ever for the Phoenix in the series versus Virginia Tech, with the maroon and gold improving to 2-6 in the all-time series. The Phoenix also picked up its third victory of the season against a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Game One: Elon 4, Virginia Tech 3
The Rundown: Virginia Tech’s Vanessa Gonzalez opened the bottom of the first with a solo leadoff homerun to center to put the Hokies on the board. VT added another run in the frame on a two-out RBI single by Emma Strouth as the Hokies went up 2-0 after the first.
The Phoenix answered with a four spot in the top of the second. Elon opened the frame with three straight singles to load the bases before plating a run after Emily Roper was hit by a pitch. A bunt single by Morgan Reich tied the game at two-all before Elon went in front on a RBI single through the left side by Jenna Reilly. A sacrifice fly to foul territory in right field from Alaina Hall put the maroon and gold ahead by two, 4-2.
The Hokies brought their deficit within one in the bottom of the sixth. Lauren Duff reached on a single with two outs and advanced to second after a Phoenix error. She crossed the dish on Jessie Mehr’s RBI single into left center to bring the score to 4-3. With runners advancing into scoring position on the play, the Hokies had a chance to plate the possible tying or go-ahead runs, but Elon struck out the next batter to escape the jam.
Virginia Tech opened the bottom of the seventh with back to back singles with the runners advancing to scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. After the Phoenix intentionally walked a batter to load the bases, Elon closed out the game with a fielder’s choice and a fly out to center to earn its first-ever win over the Hokies.
At the Plate: The Phoenix plated six base hits in the game, but also left six runners on…Hannah Olson led the way at the plate for Elon going 2-for-3, her fifth multi-hit game of the season…She also scored a run in the contest…Hall, Roper, Reich and Reilly each had an RBI in the game.
In the Circle: Kenna Quinn (7-4) took the win for the Phoenix after pitching 4.0 innings in relief of starter Kiandra Mitchum…Quinn allowed seven hits and one run, unearned, with a couple of strikeouts…Mitchum pitched 3.0 innings and allowed four hits, two runs with a strikeout.
Game Two: Elon 7, Virginia Tech 5
The Rundown: A three-run top of the second gave Elon the early advantage. A Hokies’ error allowed Olson to reach to lead off the inning before a sacrifice bunt moved her over to second. A triple by Roper down the right field line scored Olson for the first run of the game, before the bags were juiced after a couple of walks. Down to its final out of the inning with the bases still loaded, Hall drove a double down the left field line, scoring a couple of runs and giving the Phoenix a 3-0 lead.
The Hokies tied the game in the bottom of the third. Virginia Tech opened with consecutive singles before Gonzalez knotted the contest at three-all with a three-run home run to center. Virginia Tech then took the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Carrie Eberle scored Strouth, who reached on an error to lead off the inning, 4-3.
Elon quickly tied the game in the top of the fifth. Hall opened with a triple to center field and tied the game at 4-4 off a RBI single from Shutt. After Carey Million and Olson reached on a fielder’s choice and a single, respectively, the pair advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch. A walk on the next batter loaded the bases before a sacrifice fly by Roper gave the Phoenix the lead. An errant throw from the outfield to the infield helped the Phoenix add another run on the play to go ahead 6-4.
Virginia Tech added a run in its home half of the fifth to close the gap back to one. Strouth had a two-out RBI triple into center field, bringing the Hokies back within one with a runner on third. Elon induced the final out to get out of the inning up one, 6-5.
The Phoenix added back to its lead in the top of the seventh. Shutt led off with a triple to left center and scored on an infield single from Million. The Phoenix had a chance to add more insurance runs as Million moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and then stole third with only one out, but the Hokies worked around it to leave the runner at third going to the bottom half.
The Hokies had runners reach first and second with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but a double play turned by Erica Serafini ended the threat and sealed the doubleheader sweep of the Hokies as Elon emerged with the 7-5 win.
At the Plate: Elon had seven hits in the second game with five players recording a base hit…Hall (2-for-3) and Shutt (2-for-4) led the Phoenix with a pair of hits each, their 17th and 14th multi-hit game of the year, respectively…Hall and Roper each added two RBI in the contest.
In the Circle: Quinn took the win in the circle for game two to improve to 8-4 on the season…The Boiling Springs, S.C., native pitched 3.2 innings in relief and gave up three hits and two runs, one earned, with a strikeout…Mitchum came in the sixth to relieve Quinn and earn her third save of the season and the sixth of her career, moving her into a tie for the most all-time in school history.
On Deck
The Phoenix heads to Philadelphia this weekend, April 8-9, for a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series at Drexel.