May 4, 2006

Box Scores

Liberty 6, Hokies 5
Liberty 3, Hokies 0

 

BLACKSBURG - Kelly Brown set the new school career hits record, but the Virginia Tech softball team was swept by Liberty University Thursday afternoon at Tech Softball Park in the Hokies' regular season finale. The Flames held on to win the opener 6-5 before taking the second game, 3-0.

In the first game, senior Katie Maynard gave up a two-run home run in the second inning and a three-run shot in the fifth inning as the Hokies fell 6-5.

Trailing 2-0 in the second, Kelsey Hoffman doubled and scored when Beth Walker doubled to the gap.

After falling behind 5-1 in the fifth inning, Callie Rhodes led off with an infield single and stole second. She moved to third and scored on Erin Ota's single to center field. After a pitching change, reliever Terra Lowe got Tech's next three batters to end the inning. Liberty added an insurance run in the top of the seventh.

In the bottom of the seventh, Rhodes walked and stole second. She moved to third on Brown's single and scored on Charisse Mariconda's single to center. Two more runs scored on Hoffman's single to right with two outs to make it 6-5, but Walker struck out swinging to end the game.

At the plate, Hoffman led the way with two hits and two RBI. Walker had two hits and a RBI while Brown also had two hits. Rhodes, Ota (RBI), Mariconda and Caroline Stolle each had one hit.

In the circle, Maynard (L, 13-10) went 7.0 innings, allowing six earned runs on nine hits while walking three, hitting one batter and striking out five.

In the second game, the Flames got an unearned run in the top of the first to take an early lead. Liberty put two more runs up in the second on consecutive doubles to make it 3-0.

Liberty threatened again in the third, putting two one with no outs before Scot Thomas made a pitching change, putting Angela Tincher in for starter Karie Morrison. Tincher proceeded to strike out the next three batters to end the threat.

Tincher went the rest of the way, throwing 5.0 innings of no-hit ball, but the damage was done off Morrison early. Morrison (L, 0-1) went 2.0 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits. Tincher struck out nine to run her mark to 444 on the season.

At the plate, Rhodes had two hits and two stolen bases to break her own single-season stolen base record. The junior now has 33 for the season. Everhart, Kelsy Rokey and Alisia Narodowski each had a hit.

Brown picked up a hit in her first at bat, singling through the left side of the infield in the first inning to break Michelle Meadows mark of 254 hits in a career. Brown now has 256 hits.

Tech (37-17) will take the next week off for exams before returning to action on Thursday, May 11 in the ACC Tournament at Chapel Hill, N.C. The Hokies will be the No. 3 seed and will play at 10 a.m., against a team to be determined. What happens in the Florida State/Maryland series this weekend will determine if the Hokies play FSU, Maryland or the University of Virginia in the first round.