March 7, 2012
Hokies rally to knock off Dutch National Team, 5-4 in exhibition game
Spaw's walk-off single wins it for Tech
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Dutch National Team1010200460
Virginia Tech 00200125143
  • Clearwater, FL - 87

CLEARWATER, Fla. - A two-run seventh inning lifted the Virginia Tech softball team to a thrilling 5-4 win over the Dutch National Team in an exhibition game Wednesday night at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.

The Dutch jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Hokies scrapped their way back into it in the fourth inning. Kristen Froehlich doubled down the line to drive in Courtney Liddle and then Kylie McGoldrick singled in Kelsey Mericka to tie it up.

The Orange plated two more runs in the fifth inning on a double to right field, but Tech chipped away and cut the lead in half when Lauren Gaskill doubled in Bkaye Smith in the sixth inning.

Trailing 4-3 going into the seventh inning, head coach Scot Thomas re-inserted some of the starters to go for the win and it worked as the Hokies rallied to pick up the win. Mericka led off the inning with a laser home run that just cleared the left field fence to tie it up before McGoldrick tripled to the gap with one out. Freshman Logan Spaw then singled through the right side past a drawn-in infield to plate McGoldrick and send the dugout into a frenzy as the Hokies picked up the big win.

The Hokies got solid pitching from all four pitchers who took the circle. Isabella Corrao went two innings, allowing a run on two hits and two walks with a strikeout. Bailey Liddle pitched two innings, allowing a run on two hits with two walks and a strikeout. Lauren Darden pitched two innings, allowed two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout and Kat Banks picked up the win, pitching the last inning.

At the plate, Tech out-hit the Dutch 14-6. Gaskill, Courtney Liddle, Mericka, McGoldrick and Spaw each had two hits while Dani Anderson, Smith, Froehlich and Betty Rose each had one.

Seventeen of the 18 players who dressed played in the game. The only one who did not was pitcher Jasmin Harrell, who was scheduled to be given rest and not pitch regardless.

With the win, the Hokies now have a two-game winning streak against National Teams of any country after upsetting the U.S.A. 1-0 in 2008.

Tech (13-7) will get back down to business on Friday, taking on Penn State and USF in the first day of the USF Under Armour Invitational. Those two games will take place at the USF Softball Field in Tampa.

For updates on Virginia Tech softball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Softball).

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