Virginia Tech Hokies Shine on the Field: Softball Stuns FSU, Former Hokie Goes Off in MLB Career Day
The Hokies made a statement Sunday with a thrilling bounce-back victory after a tough start to their final ACC softball series of the season against No. 9 Florida State. Virginia Tech dropped the first two games in brutal fashion — including a shocking no-hitter on Saturday — but refused to go down without a fight, pulling off a gritty 8-6 win in the series finale at Tech Softball Park.
Florida State had already locked up the ACC regular-season title with a dominant 13-4 win on Friday and followed that up with an 8-0 no-hit shutout on Saturday behind Jazzy Francik. But on Sunday, Virginia Tech showed serious resilience. After falling behind 4-2, the Hokies’ bats came alive. Cori McMillan led the charge with two home runs, while Zoe Yaeger and Bre Peck each added long balls of their own. Yaeger drove in three runs, while McMillan and Peck added two RBIs apiece to fuel the comeback.
Emma Mazzarone notched her 11th win of the season despite allowing six runs and walking six. Emma Lemley came in clutch to shut the door in the seventh, locking down the save. The win pushes No. 15 Virginia Tech to 40-10 overall and 18-6 in conference play, giving them momentum as they head into the ACC Tournament in Chestnut Hill. The Hokies earned the No. 4 seed and will face the winner of North Carolina vs. Notre Dame on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on the ACC Network.
Meanwhile, across the country in Major League Baseball, former Hokie Kerry Carpenter had a career afternoon for the Detroit Tigers. The slugging outfielder exploded for a 4-for-6 day at the plate, racking up five RBIs in a 13-1 blowout of the Los Angeles Angels. Carpenter crushed a two-run homer in the sixth inning to cap off his dominant performance. Now batting .295 on the season with eight home runs and 19 RBIs, Carpenter is becoming a force to be reckoned with in Detroit’s lineup.
From Blacksburg to the big leagues, Virginia Tech athletes made major noise this weekend — and the best may be yet to come.