ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia Tech opened the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional with a dominant 5-0 victory over Belmont on Friday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium.
Senior pitcher and Jefferson Forest High School grad Emma Lemley led the Hokies with a stellar performance in the circle, allowing just one hit over six innings, striking out nine batters and walking two. Cassie Grizzard closed the game with a scoreless seventh inning, sealing Virginia Tech’s 22nd shutout of the season .
Recommended Videos
Offensively, third baseman Jordan Lynch sparked the Hokies with a solo home run in the first inning. She added an RBI single in the third, contributing to a four-run rally that included a triple by Zoe Yaeger and a two-run homer by Kylie Aldridge .
Hokies will play host Alabama Saturday at Noon.
Liberty University began its NCAA softball tournament run with a 10-5 win over Marist College on Friday at Davis Diamond, advancing in the Bryan-College Station Regional.
The Lady Flames capitalized on two four-run innings to build a commanding lead. In the second inning, Savannah Woodard reached on an error, allowing Rachel Craine to score the game’s first run. Brynn McManus followed with a three-run homer, putting Liberty ahead 4-0.
Marist responded in the third when Miah McDonald hit a three-run home run, narrowing the gap to 4-3. However, Liberty extended its lead in the fourth with an RBI single by Woodard and a three-run double by Paige Doerr, making it 8-3.
Woodard added an RBI double in the fifth, and later scored on a double steal, pushing the lead to 10-3. Marist added two runs in the seventh with solo homers by Peyton Pusey and McDonald, but it wasn’t enough.
Elena Escobar earned the win for Liberty, pitching six innings, allowing five runs on nine hits, striking out eight.
The Flames will play host Texas A&M Saturday at 2 p.m. eastern.
In their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, North Florida stunned Virginia 2-1 on Friday in the opening game of the Columbia Regional at Carolina Softball Stadium.
The Ospreys capitalized on a pivotal moment in the top of the sixth inning. With the game tied at 1-1, a successful challenge by head coach Jeff Conrad overturned a potential double play, keeping the inning alive. Shortly after, North Florida pushed across the go-ahead run, seizing a 2-1 lead. Pitcher Allison Benning then struck out the next two Virginia batters to end the inning and preserve the lead.
Benning delivered a strong performance in the circle, limiting the Cavaliers to one run over seven innings. She recorded multiple strikeouts and maintained composure under pressure, especially in the later innings.
Virginia managed to tie the game in the fifth inning, but their offense was stifled thereafter. The Cavaliers had opportunities to rally but were unable to capitalize against Benning’s effective pitching.
The Cavaliers will play an elimination game against Elon Saturday at 3:30 p.m.