Emma Lemley Shines as Virginia Tech Softball Sweeps Liberty with Dominant Shutout
Virginia Tech’s softball team secured a commanding Top 25 victory on Wednesday night, shutting out No. 24 Liberty to complete a season sweep. Star pitcher Emma Lemley once again showcased her dominance, leading the No. 11 Hokies (29-5) to their 10th consecutive win with a stellar performance at Tech Softball Park.
Lemley had already made a statement against Liberty earlier in the season, throwing one of her four no-hitters in a 9-0 rout back in February. This time, the Flames came out swinging, determined to avoid another blanking. Lead-off hitter Savannah Woodard wasted no time, ripping a double to left-center on just the second pitch of the game. Liberty even managed to load the bases with one out after drawing two walks, but Lemley stayed composed, escaping the jam unscathed.
The Hokies’ offense wasted no time providing run support. Cori McMillan, fresh off a dramatic walk-off home run against Stanford last weekend, ignited the scoring with a solo blast in the bottom of the first. Moments later, Bre Peck added an RBI single to give Virginia Tech an early 2-0 advantage.
By the third inning, the Hokies had fully seized control. With two runners on and two outs, Jordan Lynch launched a towering three-run homer over the right field fence, extending the lead to 5-0. Virginia Tech nearly wrapped things up early in the fifth when they loaded the bases with one out, but they settled for one additional run on a Lynch RBI single.
Lynch had a monster night at the plate, tallying three hits and four RBIs. McMillan and Kylie Aldridge each chipped in with two hits as well. Meanwhile, Lemley remained locked in, surrendering just three hits while striking out nine and issuing four walks in her complete-game shutout.
With another dominant victory under their belt, Virginia Tech now shifts focus to ACC play, heading to Raleigh for a weekend showdown against NC State. The Hokies will look to keep their hot streak alive as they continue their march toward postseason contention.