BLACKSBURG (hokiesports.com) - Coming off a 5-0 weekend at the Troy Subway Invitational, the Virginia Tech softball team (9-1) travels across the bridge to take on New River Valley rival Radford University Wednesday afternoon at Dedmon Center Field for a single game starting at 3 p.m., weather permitting. Admission is free.
This will be the 32nd overall meeting between the two teams, as the Hokies lead the Highlanders 31-10 in the all-time series. The series dates back to 1996 where Radford captured five straight wins to open the series. Tech’s first win came in 1998, where the Hokies captured a 10-8 win. During a five-year span, the Hokies went on a 15-game winning streak against the Highlanders starting in 1999 and ending in 2004, which includes the largest margin of victory. On March 30, 2002, the Hokies shut out Radford, 15-0, in Blacksburg, which is one of the 11 shutouts for Tech in the series.
The Hokies are 9-3 all-time at Dedmon Center Field.
Tech and Radford (0-2) met twice last season with the Hokies winning 9-1 in five innings at home and 5-0 at Radford.
The Highlanders have played just two games thus far, being swept at North Carolina 7-1 and 7-3 last week. Becky Mantel batted .600 in the doubleheader and Ryndee Ruch hit .500 in the two games. Radford hit just .200 as a team against the Tar Heels.
Three pitchers saw action against UNC in the twin bill. Jackie Jenkins (0-1) pitched 6.0 innings with a strikeout and an ERA of 7.00 while Rachael Walters (0-1) pitched 4.2 innings with three strikeouts and an ERA of 10.52. Allie Reid pitched 1.1 innings with a strikeout, but didn’t give up a run. The Highlanders have a 7.58 staff ERA in a small sample size.
With Tuesday mixed precipitation in the NRV, plus cold temperatures forecast for Wednesday, be sure to follow @VT_Softball on Twitter and hokiesports.com for any potential changes.
Following Wednesday’s game, the Hokies will head to Woodstock, Ga., for a tournament hosted by Kennesaw State. Tech is scheduled to play two games on Friday, two on Saturday and one on Sunday, weather permitting.
For updates on Virginia Tech softball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Softball).