BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech softball team split a pair of games with New River Valley rival Radford Tuesday evening at Tech Softball Park. The Hokies won the first game, 4-2, before surrendering a four-run lead in the second game in losing 11-6.

In the opener, the Hokies scored just one run on a hit, but manufactured three more to take the win. Tech scored two runs on an error in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead before Radford cut into the lead in the second inning. In the third inning, Tech freshman Kristin Graham roped a solo home run to left to widen the margin. Radford scored in the sixth inning on a home run and loaded the bases in the seventh, but Kenzie Roark held off the charge to secure the win.

Jenna Rhodes led the way with three hits while Marra Hvozdovic and Graham each had one. Abbie Rexrode was solid in picking up the win to move to 3-6. She went 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. Roark worked the final 1.2 innings for the save. She gave up three walks but struck out two, including one to end the game.

The second game started off well for the Hokies as they scored in the first inning and three more in the third to take a 3-1 lead. Charisse Mariconda, Graham and Whitney Davis each picked up RBI hits in the frame and in the fourth, pinch runner Kelsey Hensel scored on a Mariconda single. Radford then proceeded to score 10 unanswered runs over the final three stanzas to storm back. It started in the fifth with an RBI triple to make it 5-2.

In the top of the sixth, Hope Creasy launched a monstrous three-run home run to center field to tie it up and in the seventh, the wheels fell off for the Hokies. With first base open and runners on second and third, Tech elected to intentionally walk Jenn Everhart, who had five hits on the day at that points. But a passed ball by Tech catcher Alicia Field allowed the go-ahead run to score. The Highlanders then laid down three-consecutive successful suicide squeezes to plate three more runs and then scored two more runs for good measure. Tech got one run back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI double by Davis, but it wasn’t enough.

Mariconda recorded three hits, including a double, and two RBI to lead the offense. The senior now needs six more two-baggers to break the school’s career mark in that category. Davis had two hits and two RBI. Rhodes, Erin Ota, Jessica Everhart, Graham and Hvozdovic each had a hit.

Roark got the start and had to re-enter the game late. She threw 5.2 total innings, allowing seven earned runs on 11 hits with a walk and five strikeouts. Graham (L, 1-1) went 1.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.

Tech (10-16) will be back in action this weekend, taking on the University of Virginia in a three-game conference series. The two will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 o’clock and then a single game on Sunday again at 1.