Live Action: Top-Ranked Virginia Tech Softball Takes on California in Game One

From our own Kaden Reinhard

No.14 Virginia Tech Hokies (37-7, 15-3 ACC) will take their talents across the US to take on the California Golden Bears (31-16, 7-11) in a three-game weekend set.

A week ago, the Hokies rode a 17-game win streak into their series with Pitt. Now, after dropping two of three to the Panthers, Tech will need to brush that off and enter the Cal series with a fresh slate in their minds and look forward to the end of the season.

From start to finish, the whole series was bizarre. Every installment had been shifted to an earlier date due to Easter Sunday, and with forecasts predicting rain for Saturday, this led to a doubleheader being scheduled for Friday instead.

The streak ended in game one with an extra-inning loss, when Emma Lemley allowed six earned runs in her start, the worst of her season. Lemley has been lights out for the Hokies in her senior campaign. A bounce-back start in California should be expected from the ace.

The Golden Bears enter the contest with a minor win streak. Back-to-back in-state victories over ranked Stanford and Santa Clara allow Cal to enter their first ACC series against the Hokies with confidence.

Cal has secured consecutive NCAA tournament berths and aims to ignite a late-season push to maintain that run.

Coach Chelsea Spencer has been guiding the Golden Bears for five seasons now, each year showing progress under her leadership. In the previous season, they secured an impressive 37 victories—the highest tally since 2015—while also smashing 79 home runs, which stands as their second-best record ever at the university.

Virginia Tech lineup

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This piece was initially released on www.si.com/college/virginiatech as Live Scores: Virginia Tech Softball Ranked 12th Takes On California in Game One .