Ticket Market Place
Sports Radio Network | 
Travel Center & Info
Hokies seventh-inning comeback vs. Marshall falls short
Tech also honored its three seniors prior to Friday's contest
April 21, 2017
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Marshall (35-7) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
 Virginia Tech (17-30) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| ||||||||||
BLACKSBURG – Despite a two-run homer from junior Caroline Schoenewald in the bottom of the seventh, the Virginia Tech softball team couldn’t find an answer for the Marshall offense, as the Hokies dropped an 8-3 decision to the Thundering Herd Friday evening.
Freshman Carrie Eberle took the loss for the Hokies (17-30, 12-14 ACC) after tossing 6.1 innings in the circle, including two scoreless frames in both the third and fifth inning.
Marshall (35-7) plated two runs in the first to take an early 2-0 lead and never looked back, scoring eight runs on 12 hits.
In the bottom of the fifth, junior Jessie Mehr put the Hokies on the scoreboard with a solo homerun to left field, cutting the team’s deficit to three with two frames remaining.
Marshall then responded in the top of the sixth with two runs that extended its lead to five. The Thundering Herd then tacked on two more runs that made it 8-1, putting the game out of reach for the Hokies.
However, Tech tried to make a comeback in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs on two hits. Sophomore Lauren Duff stepped up to the plate with one out and slapped a double to centerfield, tallying her first hit of the game. With Duff in scoring position, Schoenewald then smacked a home run over the leftfield wall. However, Schoenewald’s homer wasn’t enough, as the Thundering Herd recorded the final out on a K from senior Elizabeth Birle.
Additionally, Tech recognized seniors Birle, Aysha Richardson and Vanessa Gonzalez prior to Friday’s contest vs. Marshall. Birle has played a valuable role in the pitcher’s circle this season, while Gonzalez will leave Blacksburg with her name in the top 10 all-time in home runs and walks. Before suffering an injury to her eye that has kept her out indefinitely, Richardson was having a career year that included a .373 batting average, the third highest in school history.
The Hokies will conclude their three-game series with the Thundering Herd tomorrow afternoon starting with a doubleheader at noon.
For updates on Virginia Tech softball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Softball
