ACC softball tournament: Virginia Tech defeats Virginia as Emma Mazzarone dominates

[ASFN Admin]

You must be registered for see images

May 17, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Virginia Tech’s Emma Mazzarone makes a pitch against Alabama at Rhoads Stadium. Alabama defeated Virginia Tech 4-3 to advance to the final. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a bye in the first round of the ACC softball tournament, the No. 3-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies took on their bitter rival, the Virginia Cavaliers, in the quarterfinals in Charlottesville on Thursday. Behind one of the most dominant pitching performances of the season, Virginia Tech junior Emma Mazzarone pitched a complete game, striking out 14 Cavaliers to lead the Hokies to a 3-1 win.

The Hokies got on the board first in the bottom of the third inning, when Addison Foster tripled and a Virginia throwing error led her to score, making it 1-0.

DOMINANT

A complete-game victory with a career-high 14 (!!!) strikeouts for @EMazzarone in the ACC Quarterfinals! #Hokiespic.twitter.com/4ciIshJ9O2

— Virginia Tech Softball (@HokiesSoftball) May 8, 2026

Virginia Tech added some insurance in the bottom of the fourth when catcher Zoe Yaeger blasted an RBI double, scoring Rachel Castine to give VT a 2-0 advantage. Annika Rohs followed with another RBI double, scoring Yaeger to make it 3-0.

Virginia Tech’s Emma Mazzarone struck out a career-high 14 to eliminate Virginia from the ACC Tournament.

She talked with @JennaBecerra01 about the dominant outing and how she’d describe this Hokies team in one word.@EMazzarone | @HokiesSoftballpic.twitter.com/boWeQkee81

— D1Softball (@D1Softball) May 8, 2026

UVa made things interesting in the seventh, though, as the Hoos loaded bases, scoring one, but Mazzarone buckled down to finish the game and send the Hokies into the semifinals against No. 2 seed Duke.

Continue reading...