Tincher’s no-hitter leads Hokies in NCAA Tourney – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 18, 2007
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Angela Tincher’s fifth no-hitter of the season and three clutch hits from the Hokie bats lifted the 13th-ranked Virginia Tech softball team to a 5-0 win over Canisius College Friday afternoon at Buckeye Field on the campus of Ohio State University in NCAA Regional action.
Tincher (W, 38-5) followed up a stellar ACC Tournament with a 100-pitch, 18-strikeout gem to lead Tech to victory. She had her bid for a perfect game spoiled in the sixth inning when she walked pinch hitter Rachel Barrientos on a 3-2 pitch.
Tech got on the board in the first inning when Jessica Everhart singled through the left side to drive in Erin Ota from third. Canisius pitcher Courtney Piar struggled with her control early, walking the bases loaded, before Everhart came through with the clutch two-out hit.
The game would remain a 1-0 contest until the fifth inning, when the Hokies scored four runs to put the game away. Ota singled to right field and scored from first base on Caroline Stolle’s double to deep left field. Stolle moved to third on Stephanie Savre’s ground out before Kelsey Hoffman and Everhart walked to load the bases. Charisse Mariconda, mired in a recent slump at the plate, came through in a big way with a bases-clearing triple to the right-center gap to plate Stolle, pinch runner Jenna Rhodes and Everhart.
That would be more than enough for Tincher, who now sits at 599 strikeouts for the season, fifth-best in NCAA single-season history. With one more strikeout, it will be the fifth time in NCAA history the 600-K mark has been reached in a season. The no-hitter was her fifth of the season (three no-hitters, two perfect games) and the 10th solo no-hitter of the junior All-American’s career.
“I actually felt a little rusty today, like I wasn’t throwing that hard,” the Eagle Rock, Va., native said following the game. “But my rise ball was working pretty well and my offense stepped up behind me. It’s just a good feeling to get the first win under our belt.”
All three balls put in play against her required great defensive efforts to save the no-hitter. In the third inning, Brittany Bonetto’s ground ball to Ota required Ota go to her right and deep into the hole to get to the ball and then make a quick throw to get Bonnetto. In the fourth inning, a slow roller by Jamie Gerace was picked up by Tech shortstop Mariconda and a great stretch by Savre at first base sat her down. The final play was made by Tincher, who knocked down a hard liner back at her by Katie Miranto in the seventh inning, and then threw to first in time for the out.
At the plate, Tech (49-14) had just four hits, but three of them resulted in at least one RBI. Ota, Stolle, Mariconda and Everhart each had one hit.
The Hokies will now face the winner of second-seeded Ohio State/third-seeded Cal State Fullerton at 1 p.m., Saturday in a winner’s bracket game. Canisius will face the loser of the OSU/CSF game at 3:30 p.m.
