BOCA RATON, Fla. -- The Virginia Tech softball team split its final two games at the FAU Parents’ Weekend Tournament on Saturday afternoon, as the Hokies grabbed a 9-1, five-inning victory over Michigan State before falling to Hofstra, 6-2, in eight innings.
In the day’s first game, eight of the Hokies’ nine starters tallied a hit en route to a five-inning, 9-1 victory over the Spartans.
After the Spartans issued Kylie McGoldrick a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first inning, Vanessa Gonzalez ripped a triple down the right field line to put the Hokies on the board. Katey Smith then immediately drove her in on a fielder’s choice to put Tech up 2-0 heading into the second inning.
Michigan State made it 2-1 on a third-inning RBI single from Sarah Gutknecht, but the Hokies broke things open in the bottom half of the frame. Gonzalez walked to open the inning, letting Smith drive her in with a blast over the left field wall that made the score 4-1 in favor of Tech.
Amanda Ake and Logan Spaw both singled up the middle, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Bailey Liddle laid down a bunt to advance the runners, but the Spartans failed to cover first on the play and the throw went into right field. All three Hokies came around to score on the play and Tech took a 7-1 lead, still with nobody out.
Jessica McNamara followed that barrage up with a double to center field and was immediately driven in by Laura Wolff’s single up the middle. Wolff later came around and scored on Gonzalez’ sacrifice fly, the seventh and final run of the inning that made the score 9-1.
Maggie Tyler threw all five innings in the victory, scattering six hits and striking out five en route to her fifth win of the season.
In the second game of the day, Tech got a pair of solo home runs in the early innings, but fell, 6-2, on Hofstra’s walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the eighth.
Ake opened the scoring with a shot over the left field wall to lead off the second inning and Kylie McGoldrick followed with a blast to right-center in the third, but that would be all the Hokies’ offense could muster.
Hofstra got a run back in the fourth inning and tied things at 2-2 in the sixth before Caryn Bailey deposited a grand slam over the wall in left-center to give the Pride the 6-2 victory.
Kelly Heinz threw all 7.1 innings in the loss, striking out eight and holding Hofstra to a single earned run through the first seven frames.
Tech will be back in action on Tuesday, March 11, when the Hokies take on No. 9 Florida State in a doubleheader at Fort Myers, Fla. The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
For updates on Virginia Tech softball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Softball