Virginia Tech ace holds off Hawaii

Hawaii softball coach Bob Coolen nearly emptied the Rainbow Wahine bench in search of a spark against Virginia Tech right-hander Maggie Tyler.

But Tyler managed to douse UH’s comeback hopes with 12 strikeouts in the Hokies’ 3-1 win at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium on Thursday.

Tyler raised her season strikeout total to 104 in her 14th appearance and held UH to three hits in the complete-game effort while the Hokies sent the Rainbow Wahine to their second straight loss in the tournament.

UH mustered seven hits in its past two games and Coolen went to his lineup card repeatedly on Thursday, using seven of nine available substitutes. By the seventh inning, three defensive starters remained on the field. 

The Wahine put two runners on base in the sixth and brought the tying run to the plate again in the seventh, but couldn’t break through against Tyler, who improved to 9-3.

“Inevitably hitters go through slumps and unfortunately we’re doing it right now,” Coolen said.

The tournament continues Friday with UH (17-11) set to face St. Bonaventure at 6 p.m. at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. UH and Virginia Tech (18-3) meet again on Saturday.

Virginia Tech catcher Katey Smith gave Tyler a lead by a drilling a two-run double to the right-center gap in the top of the first. 

UH’s first three hitters reached base in the bottom of the first. But Heather Morales hit a grounder to second baseman Kylie McGoldrick, who threw to the plate for the force out. Smith then caught Keiki Carlos off the third base bag for a double play and Tyler got a strikeout to end the inning.

“You let the momentum build for you and you can’t take yourself out of an inning like that,” Coolen said.

The Wahine got a run back in the third inning after Kayla Wartner walked and went to third on Carlos’ double to left-center. Sarina Jaramillo’s bouncer up the middle was snagged by Tyler and Wartner was caught in a rundown. But the throw to the plate hit Wartner in the back, allowing her to score.

But a two-out error extended the top of the fifth inning for Virginia Tech and Kelsey Mericka followed with a single over the third-base bag to drive in McGoldrick and give the Hokies a two-run cushion again.

Tyler then held off UH’s comeback attempts in the sixth and seventh.

“Maggie did a great job,” Virginia Tech coach Scot Thomas said. “I thought she battled a couple innings there where we maybe gave up an error or something. She fought back through that and then her defense played behind her.”

Maggie Tyler and Katey Smith. Brittany Hitchcock, Kanani AIna Cabrales (6) and Kayla Wartner. W—Tyler. L—Hitchcock.

Leading hitters—Virginia Tech: Kylie 

McGoldrick, 3-4;  Smith, 2-4, 2B, 2 RBIs; Kelsey Mericka, RBI. UH: Keiki Carlos, 2B.

Thursday

St. Bonaventure 5, Western Illinois 4

Friday

Virginia Tech vs. Western Illinois, 3:30 p.m.

St. Bonaventure vs. Hawaii, 6 p.m.