Cards Score Early, Hold on to Beat Virginia Tech 10-8 in Series Finale

Saturday, April 15

Blacksburg, VA

10:30 a.m.

University of Louisville

25-13, 0

Virginia Tech

16-27, 0

Louisville

Virginia Tech

Cards Score Early, Hold on to Beat Virginia Tech 10-8 in Series Finale

April 15, 2017 | Softball

Box Score Louisville 10 - Virginia Tech 8 (PDF)

Louisville completes three-game sweep at Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The University of Louisville softball team scored 10 runs in the first three innings and held on to beat Virginia Tech 10-8 to complete an ACC series sweep Saturday at Tech Softball Park.

Louisville (25-13, 9-4 ACC) will return to action on Tuesday when Lipscomb visits Ulmer Stadium for a single game at 6 p.m.

The Cardinals jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first inning after connecting on seven hits including three doubles. Senior Jordan McNary earned a one-out walk and back-to-back hits by senior Maryssa Becker and junior Nicole Pufahl loaded the bases for sophomore Megan Hensley's two-run double. Junior Jamie Soles followed with an RBI double and came home on a single by junior Alison Szydlowski. Senior Morgan Meyer put two aboard for freshman Caitlin Ferguson's two-run single.

The Hokies (16-27, 5-16) answered with three runs in the home half of the inning. Vanessa Gonalez and Breanna Davenport got the offense started with back-to-back singles and Emma Strouth followed with an RBI double. A wild pitch sent Davenport home and Strouth scored on Lauren Duff's base hit.

Louisville countered with a three-spot of its own in the third. Soles and Szydlowski singled to bring up Meyer who sent a hit up the middle to drive Soles home. McNary's infield hit plated Szydlowski and an error on McNary's stolen base allowed Meyer to cross the plate making the score 10-3.

The bottom of the fifth brought four more runs for Virginia Tech. Vanessa Gonzalez was hit by a pitch to start the home half of the inning. Davenport singled and Jessie Mehr's sacrifice bunt sent Gonzalez home. A two-run single by Schoenewald and a bases-loaded walk to Lattin brought the score to 10-7.

The Hokie's offense continued in the sixth when Strouth and Duff walked to put two on for Schoenewald's two-out RBI double which cut the lead to two runs.

Hensley, who had entered to pitch in the sixth, retired all three batters she faced in the seventh inning to pick up her first save of the season.

Becker (19-7) earned the win, allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits and striking out seven in five innings. Hensley surrendered one earned run on one hits in two innings of relief.

Offensively, the Cardinals held a 13-11 edge in hits with five different players tallying two hits. Ferguson, Hensley and Soles drove in three apiece.

Lattin (1-1) took the loss after giving up five earned runs on four hits in 2/3 of an inning. Schoenewald paced the Hokies offensively, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs.