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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
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 Louisville (22-10) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
 Virginia Tech (26-9) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 3 |
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HIGHLIGHTS:
• Kylie McGoldrick hit a two-run, walk-off home run in the ninth inning
• Breanna Davenport, Lauren Gaskill and McGoldrick each had a pair of hits
• All three wins all-time against Louisville have come on extra-inning, walk-off hits
BLACKSBURG - Kylie McGoldrick’s two-run, walk-off home run in the ninth inning lifted the Virginia Tech softball team to a heart-stopping 4-2 win over league-leading Louisville Friday night at Tech Softball Park to open a three-game series.
The Cards struck for an unearned run in the top of the third inning, but the Hokies battled back in the bottom half of the inning to tie it up. Kylie McGoldrick doubled down the line with two outs and scored on Katey Smith’s single up the middle.
The game remained tied until the sixth inning, when Louisville put together back-to-back hits with two outs to reclaim the lead. The Hokies rallied in the seventh inning as McGoldrick drew a bases-loaded walk to plate pinch runner Whitney Saunders. But with the bases loaded and no one out, the Hokies failed to plate the winning run, sending the game to extra innings.
Each team had chances in the extra frame, but in the bottom of the ninth, the Hokies cashed in. Lauren Gaskill led off with a triple and the McGoldrick sent the dugout spilling toward home plate with a home run over the left field wall on an 0-1 offering. It was the first walk-off home run of the senior’s storied career.
Breanna Davenport, McGoldrick and Gaskill led the offensive attack with a pair of hits. Smith, Kelsey Mericka, Michelle Prong and Vanessa Gonzalez each had one hit. Bailey Liddle drew a pair of big walks, including one to lead off the seventh inning, which led to the tying run.
Tech’s pitching held a powerful Louisville offense to just seven singles and a double. Maggie Tyler went six-plus innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Kelly Heinz (W, 9-1) picked up the win by tossing the final three innings. She allowed no runs on two hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
The walk-off home run from McGoldrick was Tech’s first walk-off home run since Elizabeth Birle hit one against North Carolina last season.
Prior to Friday night, the last time Tech and Louisville met was in 2008 at the Knoxville Regional and like tonight, the Hokies won on a walk-off home run in extra innings as Misty Hall launched a solo home run in the 10th inning to lift Tech to a 1-0 win.
Tech is 3-1 all-time against Louisville with all three wins coming in extra innings: 12 innings, 10 innings, and now nine innings. All three wins against the Cards have come on walk-off hits: Callie Rhodes single in 2006, Hall’s home run in 2008 and tonight’s home run from McGoldrick.
With the win, the Hokies improve to 26-9, 4-8 in the ACC while Louisville falls to 22-10, 11-2 in the league.
The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday with the first game starting at noon.
For updates on Virginia Tech softball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Softball
