North Carolina slips by Tech in extras, 4-3

Gonzalez and Mehr each post a double and a home run for Tech

March 18, 2017

BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech softball team dropped another game in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday as North Carolina (24-5, 5-0 ACC) rallied back to tied the game in the seventh and score the go-ahead in the eighth after an hour and 43-minute rain delay to slip by the Hokies, 4-3, in eight innings.

Junior Jessie Mehr hit her first home run of the season over the left field wall in the bottom of the sixth to cut the Hokies’ deficit to one, 2-1, and senior Vanessa Gonzalez delivered in the same inning with a two-run go-ahead home run that put Tech ahead, 3-2.

Barnes (2-3) looked to close things out in the seventh and had one out with runners on first and second before lightening and rain caused nearly a two-hour rain delay. The Heels came out of the delay and tied the game at 3-3 on an RBI single and re-took the lead in the top of the eighth, 4-3.

Sophomore Olivia Lattin and Gonzalez reached on back-to-back two-out singles in the home half of the eighth but the Hokies couldn’t find a way to extend the game.

For Gonzalez, her two-run bomb was the 22nd of her career, moving her into a tie for sixth on the program’s all-time home run list with Stephanie Savre. Tech now has 31 home runs as a team this season.

Lattin registered her 10th multi-hit game of the season as part of a 2-for-4 afternoon at the plate and Mehr notched her fourth double of the season to go along with her solo home run. Barnes matched her single game high of seven innings pitched while allowing three earned runs and recording two strikeouts.

The final game of the Hokies’ three-game series with the Tar Heels will be tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Tech Softball Park.

For updates on Virginia Tech softball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Softball