April 21, 2004

BRISTOL, Tenn. - The Virginia Tech softball team dropped a pair of games Wednesday evening at the eighth annual State Line Classic at Whitetop Creek Park, falling to ETSU, 4-2, before losing a heartbreaker to No. 11 Tennessee, 1-0 in nine innings.

In the first game, Kelly Brown led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, and then stole second and moved to third on the errant throw. She crossed the plate on Shanel Garofalo's groundout to make it 1-0. That lead stood up until the third when the Lady Bucs scored four runs, chasing starter Karie Morrison.

In the fifth inning, Callie Rhodes reached to lead off the inning by an error and then swiped her 28^th base of the season. She moved over to third on a groundout and scored on Sarah Prosise's single to left.

At the plate, Tech had just four hits, coming from Brown, Prosise, Theresa Walsh and a double by Mindi Wylie. Morrison (L, 7-3) went just two innings. She gave up four runs on four hits while walking two and striking out two. Rachel Pacheco relieved Morrison in the third inning with no one out in the third inning and went the rest of the way. She went five innings, and shut down ETSU from that point on, but the damage was done. Pacheco allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out three.

In the second game, freshman ace Monica Abbott struck out 13 Hokies and allowed just two hits to run her record to 38-5 on the year. The loss spoiled a gutsy effort from Tech hurler Katie Maynard, who was the hard-luck loser and fell to 12-11 on the season.

In the first inning, Rhodes led off the game with a slap single to left and then stole her 30^th base of the season. But Abbott beared down, striking out the next three batters to get out of the inning. In the second, the Lady Vols threatened to score. Lauren Mattox reached to lead off the inning by an error. She tried to score from first on a double to right field by Amber Rhinehart, but a perfect relay from Prosise to Shanel Garofalo to Megan Evans at the plate kept the game scoreless.

In the sixth, Tennessee had another great chance, loading the bases, but Angela Brewer popped up to Wylie in foul territory to end the rally.

In the ninth inning, after two walks and a wild pitch, Kristi Durant reached on a fielding error by Tech's Ashley Yeager to score Katherine Card and give UT a 1-0 win.

Abbott went all nine innings, retiring the last 23 Hokie batters she faced. Maynard went 8.2 innings, allowing eight hits, one unearned run and three walks while striking out two.

With the losses, Tech drops to 32-18 on the season. The Hokies suffered a bad break when Brown suffered a left ankle injury and was taken to a local hospital. Her availability for Saturday's doubleheader at Providence is undetermined. Tech (8-6) and the Friars (5-7) will play a BIG EAST Conference twin bill starting at noon.