Tech softball makes Furman see double
Brian Wright, CT Sports Reporter
April 26, 2007
The Furman Lady Paladins must have been seeing double during their encounter with the Virginia Tech softball team on Wednesday afternoon.
The 18th-ranked Hokies won both games of a doubleheader with the help of back-to-back home runs in game one and impressive complete game performances by two Tech pitchers.
The underdog Paladins (16-29-1) drew some momentum in the third inning of game one, as Furman scored once off of Tech starting pitcher Angela Tincher.
In the bottom half of the inning, catcher Kelsey Hoffman singled off Furman pitcher Lana Mackey through the left side of the Paladin infield, to bring in Callie Rhodes.
With score still tied in the last half of the fifth, the Hokies (40-13) showed off their offensive power. With two outs, left fielder Caroline Stolle hit a solo home run to left-center field. Stolle, who went 3-for-3 in the game, has a team-leading ten home runs on the season.
On the next pitch, first baseman Stephanie Savre launched her sixth home run of the year over the left-center field fence.
"It's good to see Stephanie continuing to get on track with home runs and Caroline's been hot all year," head coach Scot Thomas said.
Tincher, who struggled in her last outing against Maryland, regained her dominant form against Furman.
She shut down the heart of the Palidins' order in the final inning, which gave the Hokies a 3-1 win.
Tincher allowed one run on six hits and struck out 12 batters in a complete game effort. Her 30th victory of 2007 ties a Tech record for most wins in a single season by a pitcher.
In the second game of the day the Hokies took the early advantage. Rhodes led off the first inning with an infield single and then stole her 28th base of the season. After moving to third base on a groundout, Stolle's sacrifice fly brought Rhodes in for a 1-0 Tech lead.
In the top half of the third, Hokies' starting pitcher Heather Lowry gave up a towering home run to Mackey, who served as the Paladins' designated player in game two. Lowry didn't let the minor setback effect her performance, as she shutout Furman the rest of the way.
"We've been needing that from her," Thomas said. "She stepped up and got the job done."
The Tech offense gave Lowry plenty of run support. The Hokies scored twice in the bottom of the second when shortstop Anna Zitt laced a double into left field that drove in center fielder Jessica Everhart and right fielder Whitney Davis.
The Hokies managed to increase their lead by putting up one run in the fourth and three more in the fifth inning. A two-RBI single by pinch hitter Kelsy Rokey completed the scoring and finished off a 7-1 Tech victory.
A freshman right-hander, Lowry didn't allow a walk until the final inning. Her complete game win increased her record to 8-6.
After giving up four runs in 1 2/3 innings against Maryland last Saturday, Lowry was pleased to bounce back against the Paladins.
"In the Maryland game, I obviously didn't do as well as I did in this game," she said. "It's always good to come back and rebound from something like that."
In the final home series of the season this weekend, Tech will host Boston College for a three-game set. The two teams will play a doubleheader on April 28 with game one starting at Noon. The series will conclude the next day with the first pitch at around 1 p.m.
The Hokies will try to clinch the ACC regular season title during the series, as they currently hold a slim lead over second-place N.C. State.
"I'm sure (Boston College) is going to want to come in here and be spoilers," Thomas said. "We've got to make sure that we're taking care of business and scoring runs early when we can. Everybody's got to come together. We've got to do the job."