Hokies set to play three games in two days at Radford and Liberty

Tech takes a break from ACC play to face two in-state foes

April 17, 2017

BLACKSBURG – Before taking on Marshall this weekend at Tech Softball Park, the Virginia Tech softball team (16-27, 5-16 ACC) will play a doubleheader at Liberty on Tuesday followed by a Wednesday evening contest at Radford at 5 p.m.

The 5 p.m. doubleheader against the Flames will be available on WatchESPN. Live stats for all three games can be found on HokieSports.com.

The Hokies went 1-3 last week that included a 5-2 midweek victory over Longwood. Freshman Carrie picked up her seventh win of the season against the Lancers after striking out five and allowing two runs in a complete game effort. Eberle carried momentum into the weekend series against Louisville where she threw a complete game on Friday and tossed 4.1 innings of scoreless relief in the series finale.

Junior Breanna Davenport shined offensively last week for Tech as she went 8-for-14 (.571) over the four games. She scored three runs and drove in two while only striking out once. In the doubleheader against the Cardinals on Friday, Davenport went 6-for-7 and tied a school record after going 5-for-5 in the first game. She is one of only three players in program history to record five hits in a game and she was the first player since 2006 to accomplish the feat.

The Hokies are 34-13 all-time against Liberty and are 16-6 in games that are played in Lynchburg. The two teams have split the last four meetings, including a doubleheader in Blacksburg last season. Historically, Tech has also had success against Radford as the Hokies are 39-10 all-time and have won 12 in a row. Radford’s last win over the Hokies came on April 14, 2010, a 9-3 home victory.

The injury woes continued for the Hokies this past week as junior Aysha Richardson suffered an injury to her eye in practice that will keep her out indefinitely. Richardson is the fourth Tech starter to go down this season as she joins Chelsea Whitcomb, who’s limited to pinch running with a hand injury, Caitlyn Nolan (knee, out for the year) and Mikaela Aiken (offseason shoulder surgery).

The Hokies return home this weekend with a three-game series against Marshall. The series kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday followed a by a noon doubleheader on Saturday. Before the twin bill on Saturday, the program will honor Aysha Richardson, Elizabeth Birle and Vanessa Gonzalez, who are playing in their final seasons in Blacksburg.

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