JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Behind a season-high 12 hits, the Virginia Tech softball team held on to beat East Tennessee State 5-3 Tuesday evening on the road. Tech jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and went up 5-1 before holding off a pesky Lady Buc team in the last three innings to run its winning streak to three games.

In the third inning, Charisse Mariconda drove in Amber Walker with a double down the line. With Jenna Rhodes on third base and Mariconda on second, Rhodes scored on a wild pitch and on the toss back to the plate, the throw got away to allow Mariconda to score to make it 3-0.

ETSU cut into the lead with a single run in the fourth inning, but the Hokies responded with two more runs in the fifth inning. Walker singled to deep center and was pinch run for by Kelsey Hensel. Hensel moved up on an infield single by Rhodes and both moved up on an infield single by Erin Ota. Hensel and Rhodes scored on Mariconda’s sharp single up the middle to make it 5-1.

The Lady Bucs scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning to tighten things up and in the seventh, had the tying run at the plate. But reliever Kenzie Roark struck out the last two batters to end the threat and the game.

Tech got good production out of the top of the order as the first five hitters in the lineup combined for 11 of Tech’s 12 hits. Rhodes tied her career high with four hits while Ota, Mariconda and Jessica Everhart each had two hits and Kristin Graham had one. Mariconda also had three RBI. Tech’s other hit came from Walker, who also drew two walks.

Abbie Rexrode (W, 4-6) went 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with a strikeout. Roark picked up her second save of the season by throwing 2.1 innings of shutout ball. She gave up two hits and struck out three.

Tech will step back into ACC play this weekend at No. 21 Florida State for three games. The two will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 3 p.m., and a single game on Sunday at 1 o’clock. The first game on Saturday and Sunday’s game will be televised live regionally.