No. 23/22 Virginia Tech Edges Louisville 10-8 in ACC Quarterfinals

Thursday, May 11

South Bend, IN

1:30 PM

University of Louisville

35-18

Virginia Tech

37-17

Virginia Tech

Louisville

Photo by: Meg Lee | ACC Photo

No. 23/22 Virginia Tech Edges Louisville 10-8 in ACC Quarterfinals

May 11, 2023 | Softball

Box Score

Fourth-seeded Louisville rallied for five runs in the sixth, but come up short to No. 5-seeded Virginia Tech as the teams combine for an ACC Championship record 18 runs

By: Lori Harmon

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Louisville softball team put together a late-inning rally with five runs in the sixth, but came up short in a 10-8 loss to Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship Thursday at Notre Dame's Melissa Cook Stadium.

The game featured an ACC Championship-record 18 combined runs and 26 hits as the Cardinals and Hokies tallied 13 apiece.

Sarah Gordon went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Hannah File tallied a pair of hits including a two-run home run and Makayla Hurst added a two-run homer. Korbe Otis went 2-for-2 with a run and a stolen base and Easton Lotus registered two hits and scored a pair of runs to help lead the Cardinals at the plate.

The Cardinals (35-18) struck early with a run in the first. Lotus delivered the first hit of the game and crossed the plate on an RBI single by Gordon, the ACC Freshman of the Year,.

The Hokies (37-17) answered behind Cameron Fagan's three-run homer in the third. Addy Greene followed with a solo shot to put Virginia Tech up 4-1. Back-to-back solo home runs by Bre Peck and Kelsey Bennett in the fourth extended Virginia Tech's lead to 6-1.

Louisville countered with File's two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth. Daisy Hess got the inning started with a walk to bring up File who launched the first pitch she saw over the left field fence for her 11^th longball of the season. Ally Alexander followed with a bunt single and moved to third a double by Otis to bring the tying run to the plate, but Virginia Tech pitcher Emma Lemley issued a strikeout to end the inning.

Tech used two hits, an error and an RBI fielder's choice to get a run back in the fifth and plated two more in the sixth to make the score 9-3.

The Cards continued to battle back, scoring five runs in the home half of the sixth - all with two outs inning. Vanessa Miller earned a two-out pinch-hit walk to set the table for pinch-hitter Hurst who rocketed a shot over the left field fence. After a walk to Otis and a hit by Lotus, Louisville continued its two-out rally with an RBI single by Taylor Roby. Gordon and Hess followed with back-to-back RBI hits to plate Otis, pulling the Cards within a run. Gordon attempted to cross the plate on a passed ball for the tying run, but was called out at the plate. A replay review upheld the ruling and the sixth inning ended with Louisville trailing 9-8 with a runner on first.

The Hokies tacked on an insurance run on Kelsey Bennett's RBI single in the seventh to extend the lead to 10-8.

In the bottom of the seventh, Maddi Grant earned a one-out walk to bring the tying run to the plate, but the Cardinals would get no closer.

Alyssa Zabala (14-9) took the loss, allowing six runs, five earned on five hits and striking out six in three innings of work.

Lemley (20-10) picked up the win after surrendering six earned runs on six hits and fanning six in 5.2 innings. Bree Peck, Bennett, Rachel Castine and Kylie Aldridge each had two hits and Cameron Fagan drove in three runs to lead Tech at the plate. The Hokies advance to Friday's semifinal game against top-seeded Florida State.

This year's NCAA softball bracket field of 64 will be revealed at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 14 on ESPN2.

NOTES:

Two tournament records were broken in Thursday's game. The 18 combined runs scored marked a new ACC Softball Championship record for most runs in a game. The previous record was 17 runs on two occasions, between Maryland (9 runs) and North Carolina (8) in 2003 and Florida State (12) and Virginia (5) in 2011. The 26 hits between Louisville and Virginia Tech, who tallied 13 apiece, broke the record of 24, set in 1992 between Florida State (19 hits) and Virginia (5).
The Cardinals earned four walks in the game to reach 190 on the season and tie a school record for team walks in a season (2013 and 2014).

PLAYER NOTES:

Easton Lotus extends her hitting streak to 10 games and has reached base safely via a hit or walk in the last 13 games.
Korbe Otis has reached base safely in 10 straight games.
Makayla Hurst connected on her first home run of the season, and 10^th of her career - and her first since May 9, 2021 in Louisville's 7-3 win at North Carolina. She was sidelined by injury during the 2022 campaign.
With two home runs in the game, the Cardinals now have 58 on the season, standing second on the program's list for home runs in a season. The record of 63 was set in 2013.
With her run in Thursday's game, Korbe Otis now has 62 this year, moving into a tie for second with Katie Keller (2013) on Louisville's all-time list. Melissa Roth owns the record of 64 set in 2009.
Taylor Roby extended her career-best season RBI total to 56. She is currently second on Louisville's all-time list for RBIs in a season, needing four more to tie Maryssa Becker's mark of 60 set in 2016.