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#3 Virginia Tech Softball Shuts Out #14 Florida 6-0 in Game 1

Keely Rochard VT Saint Francis Celebration 2022 From VT

Last weekend, #3 Virginia Tech Softball had to win 3 games in roughly 21 hours to advance to the Super Regionals. This weekend, it took 21 hours thanks to a very long delay (that was unnecessary in extreme length but that's a conversation for another day), but the Hokies once again prevailed to put themselves one win away from Oklahoma City.

The #3 Hokies beat #14 Florida 6-0 to take Game 1 of the Blacksburg Super Regional putting the Hokies one win away from their second Women's College World Series appearance in program history.

This game was defined by dominance from the start as Emma Ritter put the Hokies up in the top of the 1st with a solo home run that was bombed over the temporary stands down the left field line.

The Tech bats stayed hot into the bottom of the 2nd when Cam Fagan hit a three-run bomb to straight away center to expand the Hokies' lead to 4-0. Keely Rochard continue to be in control giving up a runner in each of her first three innings, but that runner never got past 2nd with Rochard being absolutely in control.

Tech continued their offensive dominance in the third with a Kelsey Bennett RBI double before Rochard went 3 up, 3 down in the fourth albeit with a double play helping Rochard out.

In the final half inning before the weather delay (that appeared to have been extended to Saturday by TV despite conditions suitable to play that evening), Emma Ritter continued her big game with another solo home run bomb to give the Hokies a 6-0 lead prior to the long delay.

After the 10am resumption, Keely Rochard came out firing on all cylinders with 9-straight outs while the Hokies came close a couple times to ending this game loading the bases in the fifth with a double play ending that inning without a run.

Overall, it was a dominant performance starting with Rochard who threw 7 shutout innings allowing only 4 hits while striking out five including the final hitter to seal the victory.

Offensively, Emma Ritter was a star for the Hokies going 3-3 with 2 solo home runs, a single, and a walk as Tech's All-ACC First Team outfielder played like a star in this game. Cam Fagan also had a big three-run home run and lots of strong contact with Kelsey Brown went 2-2 with a pair of infield hits and Kelsey Bennett with 2-2 with her RBI double plus a walk as Ritter, Bennett, and Brown got on base in all 10 of their plate appearances.

It was dominance from start to finish for Virginia Tech with the Hokies having all the momentum going into Game 2 being one win away from the program's second Women's College World Series appearance in program history.

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