No. 11 Virginia Tech had its first midweek game of the season against Elon this past Wednesday coming off hosting the Hokie Invite. The Hokies continued on their hot streak with a 14-2 win over the Phoenix.
In recent games, the Hokies have found their power, but their lineup's real strength is getting runners over the plate, and they did that early in this game.
In the first inning, Zoe Yaeger started the scoring by putting the ball into play with the bases loaded to bring in a run. Addison Foster then followed that up with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it a two-run lead early.
Addyson Fisher got the start for Virginia Tech and got through the first two innings in a quick manner to hold Elon’s offense.
The Hokies opened it up in the top of the third, starting off with another RBI Yaeger single as Nora Abromavage made the trip from second. Kylie Adlridge added a run on a sacrifice fly, and Gaby Mizelle followed up with an RBI single. Rache Castine knocked a double to add one more to Tech’s score, making it a 6-0 lead.
In the fourth, Zoe Yaeger continued her productive afternoon, doubling to bring in an extra run. She tallied two hits, four RBIs, and a run in her four at bats this game.
In the bottom of the fourth, Elon got through Fisher’s pitching with an RBI double from Jenna Klein. Coach Pete D’Amour then made the switch to Sophie Kleiman. The Phoenix added their final run from a Kleiman wild pitch to make it a five-run lead for the Hokies.
Virginia Tech doubled their score in the sixth inning, putting up seven runs. Loaded bases allowed for a walk-in run and a run off a Yaeger groundout. This was followed by another sacrifice fly RBI from Foster to make it a 10-2 lead for Tech. The Hokies had only one out to work with, and Gaby Mizzele knocked an RBI single. Rachel Castine then provided the knockout blow with a three-run blast to make it a 14-run game for Virginia Tech.
Sophie Kleiman closed out the game to run-rule the Phoenix in six innings.
Wednesday's contest really strong showing from the Hokies before they head into ACC play. Through 24 games they boast a 22-2 record, including a 15-game winning streak, marking the best start to a season in the Pete D’Amour era.
Virginia Tech now travels down to Durham to take on the No. 25 Duke Blue Devils to open conference play. This will be the Hokies' fifth time in seven games that they've faced a ranked opponent. So far, they stand at 4-0 with their duels with South Carolina and Georgia.
