Collegiate Times

On Sunday afternoon at Tech Softball Park, three Hokie players were honored on Senior Day. A day earlier, the entire team was rewarded for their yearlong efforts, as 18th ranked Virginia Tech clinched the ACC regular season championship.

In the last regular season series of 2007, Tech (42-14, 15-5 ACC) took two games from the Boston College Eagles (10-25, 2-14 ACC) in a three-game set, winning 3-0 and 2-1 on Saturday, before falling 9-1 on Sunday.

The Saturday doubleheader was dominated by pitcher Angela Tincher. The junior right-hander started and won both games, struck out 33 Eagle batters on the day and improved her record to 32-5.

“Angela was great,” said Tech head coach Scot Thomas. “She did well against what I think is a good-hitting (Boston College) team.”

Tincher also managed to set two school records. With her game one victory, she broke Tech’s single-season win total for a pitcher, and in game two, a first-inning strikeout of Eagles’ catcher Ashley Obrest gave Tincher 505 strike outs on the season, besting the mark she set last year.

The Hokies’ bats came alive early and helped Tincher by scoring twice in the first inning. Designated player, Callie Rhodes, led off with a single and second baseman, Erin Ota, then reached on an error. Following a bases-loading walk to first baseman Stephanie Savre, catcher Kelsey Hoffman hit a ground ball that was misplayed by Boston College second baseman, Renee Ramos.

The error by Ramos scored Rhodes. A wild pitch then brought home Ota to give Tech a 2-0 lead.

“Whenever we get on the board early like that you know they’re on the pitcher and you have confidence that they’re going to continue to score,” Tincher said.

The Hokies could only manage one more run, courtesy of Jessica Everhart’s solo home run to left-center field.

“She’s been working hard,” Thomas said of the center fielder, who went 2-for-3 in the game. “That’s what’s she’s capable of.”      

However, those three runs would be all Tincher needed. A seventh inning bases loaded threat from the Eagles dissipated, as Tech finished off the 3-0 win. Tincher pitched a complete game two-hit shutout. She struck out 19 Eagles and did not allow a single base on balls.

In game two, Boston College broke a fourth-inning scoreless tie. With no runners on base and Tincher once again in the pitcher’s circle, center fielder, Britney Thomson hit her 11th home run of the season.

“I was a little worried after I gave up that one run because (our offense) hadn’t been able to do anything yet,” Tincher said. “At the same time, I knew we would really step it up once we had a little more motivation.”

In the bottom half of the inning, Tech answered back. Hoffman single scored left fielder Caroline Stolle from second base. Later in the inning, an infield single by Everhart allowed pinch runner Jenna Rhodes to slide into home plate.

Tincher retired the final nine batters and the Hokies edged the Eagles, 2-1. In another complete game victory, Tincher gave up one run on two hits and fanned 14 more batters.

However, the best news of the day for the Hokies came later Saturday afternoon, courtesy of the Maryland Terrapins.

Tech began the weekend with a slim lead over North Carolina State in the ACC standings.

When the Wolfpack lost the second game of their doubleheader with Maryland, it gave the Hokies their first conference title in the program’s 12-year history and the top seed in the upcoming ACC tournament.

Prior to the series finale on Sunday, the team’s three seniors — Rhodes, along with pitchers Ashley Thatcher and Karie Morrison — were recognized in a pre-game ceremony. Unfortunately, Boston College crashed the celebration.

In the top of the first inning, two hit batters by Tech starting pitcher Heather Lowry and two errors by shortstop Anna Zitt, put the Hokies in an early 4-0 hole.

“We didn’t play well right from the start,” Thomas said. “We had hit batters, we were walking people and then we come up with a couple errors. We just didn’t take care of the ball.”

With the score 5-0, back-to-back doubles by Rhodes and Ota in the bottom half of the third inning gave the Hokies their lone run of the game.

Boston College scored four runs in the top of the fourth inning to put the contest out of reach. Tech’s six-game winning streak against the Eagles was snapped, and the Hokies fell 9-1 in five innings.

Despite the setback, Tech’s fate in the ACC Tournament is already set, as they will face-off against in-state rival Virginia when the tournament begins in Tallahassee, Fla. on May 10.

The Hokies will travel to Lynchburg and meet the Liberty Flames in a regular season ending doubleheader today starting at 3 p.m.