March 9, 2006

Box Scores

Hokies 6, CMU 3
Chattanooga 1, Hokies 0

 

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Virginia Tech softball team split a pair of games on the opening day of the USF adidas Invitational. In the opener, Tech rallied for four runs in the seventh to beat Central Michigan 6-3, but couldn't push a run across the plate in falling to Tennessee-Chattanooga, 1-0.

In the opener, the Chippewas took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a home run to deep left by Brittany Decker. In the fourth inning, pinch runner Crystal Beach scored on Callie Rhodes' infield single and then Tech tied it up when Decker dropped a routine fly ball hit by Stephanie Savre to left, allowing Erin Ota to score.

Central got the run back when Decker singled in a run in the fifth inning to make it 3-2. That score stood until the top of the seventh when the Hokies rallied to score four runs. Kelly Brown led off with a single before Charisse Mariconda reached on an error, allowing Brown to score and tie the game up. Jessica Everhart proceeded to double to left to score Mariconda. A single by Kelsey Hoffman scored Everhart and Hoffman eventually scored on another CMU error.

Katie Maynard (W, 7-2) went 6.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits, with two walks and four strikeouts. Angela Tincher struck out all three batters in the seventh to pick up the save.

At the plate, Rhodes led the way with three hits while both Brown and Hoffman had two hits. Ota, Mariconda and Everhart chipped in a hit apiece.

In the second game, Tincher (L, 8-1) struck out 15 batters and allowed just three hits, but the Hokie bats fell silent as Tech dropped a contest to UTC, 1-0. The game was scoreless until the sixth inning when the Mocs used two singles, a groundout and a sacrifice fly to push the lone run across.

Tech had a chance in the fifth inning to score, but Alisia Narodowski was thrown out at the plate on Caitlin Murphy's single to left to end the inning.

Brown again had two hits, leading the charge. Murphy, Savre and Beth Walker each had a hit. Tincher walked two and gave up one earned run in picking up her first loss of the season.

For the day, Tech left 19 runners on base, 12 against CMU and seven against the Lady Mocs.

Tech (15-3) returns to action on Friday, taking on Illinois at 11 a.m., before playing Coastal Carolina at 6 p.m.