CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Behind a huge game at the plate from senior Beth Walker, the Virginia Tech softball team salvaged a split with the University of Virginia Saturday at The Park. After falling 5-2 in the opener, the bats awoke and the Hokies rolled to a 10-2, five-inning win.

After a lackluster first game, the Hokies wasted little time in bouncing back. In the first inning, Erin Ota drove in Jenna Rhodes and Ota scored when the Cavs committed an error. Walker drove in Kristin Graham with a double to left to make it 3-0. The Cavaliers cut into the lead with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, but that would be it for them.

In the third inning, the Hokies erupted for four runs. Mariconda and Jessica Everhart singled and then Graham drew a walk to load the bases. Walker then stepped up and after fouling off several pitches on a 3-2 count, the Galax, Va., native crushed a pitch nearly 250 feet to straightaway center field for a grand slam.

In the fifth, Walker laid down a successful suicide squeeze to plate Charisse Mariconda and then Kristen Froehlich laced a double to the gap to drive in two more runs.

Walker led the way at the plate with two hits and a career-high six RBI. The six RBI mark a tie for the third-most for a single game in program history. Mariconda had two hits and scored a pair of runs while Rhodes, Ota, Everhart and Froehlich each had a hit.

Kenzie Roark (W, 7-10) went the distance, allowing two runs on four hits with two walks.

The loss was UVa’s first at home this season, while the margin of victory was the largest for the Hokies this year.

In the opener, the Hokies fell behind 2-0 in the first inning, but battled back to tie the game up late. Mariconda singled in Amber Walker in the third inning and Ota drove in Froehlich with a single in the fifth inning. But the Abbie Snyder hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift the Cavs to the win.

Beth Walker and Ota led the way with two hits each while Rhodes and Froehlich each had one. Abbie Rexrode (L, 3-6) went 5.1 innings, allowing five runs on five hits with five walks and a strikeout. Roark went the final 0.2 innings.

The two will play a single game on Sunday at 1 o’clock to determine the winner of the series.