Mark Berman here in Blacksburg, where the victims of last April 16 were remembered before the Virginia Tech softball team recorded an emotional doubleheader sweep.
Before their doubleheader against Liberty, the Tech players gathered together on the field and shouted, "All for 32." It was their theme for the day.
Then they went out and beat the Flames 7-2 and 9-1.
"It was amazing," said first baseman Beth Walker, a Galax graduate who homered in Game 2. "You had a lot of thoughts going through your head besides softball. ... We were not just playing for a win. We were definitely playing for 32."
"It was really special to be able to come out and play for a purpose, play for the memory of the ones we lost," center fielder Jenna Rhodes said.
But playing on this day wasn't easy for the Hokies, who scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to snap a 2-2 tie in Game 1.
"It just hits you at odd times," said pitcher Angela Tincher, who struck out 17 in the first game but also gave up a two-run homer in the sixth inning of that game. "It was a little bit harder than I think I thought it was going to be. Softball is what we're used to doing, but today ... it was really hard to focus.
"I just put a little bit too much pressure on myself. I was trying to be too perfect. I just didn't want to have anything bad happen today. For awhile there, I was just trying to push too hard [with] a little bit of the emotions. .... We knew how important today was."
Tincher won the first game, becoming the winningest pitcher in ACC history with her 110th career victory. The old mark of 109 was held by ex-Georgia Tech ace Jessica Sallinger.
"It is a nice day to have something good happen like that," said Tincher, a James River graduate who didn't pitch Game 2.
Tincher and other Hokies wore black ribbons in their hair that said, "Never forget."
Tech right fielder Whitney Davis wiped her eyes as the victims were remembered with a pregame moment of silence. Liberty's players gave their counterparts flowers during the ceremony.
Tech student Lisa Sherman, whose sister Leslie was killed in the shootings, threw out the first pitch. She had received a hug from Tech coach Scot Thomas before the ceremony, and high-fived the Hokies when they were introduced.
"For her to come out and remember her sister was big," Tincher said. "It kind of puts everything in perspective. We realize how lucky we are to be playing."
For the doubleheader, the ribbon logo was painted in center field and 4-16-07 was painted behind the pitcher's circle.
The teams joined hands in a prayer for the victims at the end of the doubleheader. The teams then planned to have dinner together and attend the candlelight vigil.
"It was a great opportunity for us to come down here and support Virginia Tech," LU coach Paul Wetmore said. "We're honored to be here."
The first game drew a season-high crowd of 1,030 fans.
"I just wanted to be with other Hokies, so I thought it was a good place to go," said Rebecca Slivka, in her third year as a student at the veterinary school. "It's a really sad day. Stuff like this lets us come together. Watching the game kind of helps us think of other things and not always just be sad all day long.
"I actually enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun."
Many fans wore maroon "Hokies United" T-shirts.
"It's better than staying inside and dealing with everything," junior Annette Baez said."It was really hard to be here at this time last year. It's bad [today], but this is something ... [to go to and] not think about it."
"I think it was healing not just for us but for whoever wanted to come," Tincher said.
Last April 16, Theresa Walsh had a bullet whiz past her ear in Norris Hall.
The 2007 Tech graduate and former Hokie softball player returned to campus to watch her ex-teammates play Liberty.
"It's tough coming back, but it feels good at the same time to have people support you," said Walsh, a Blacksburg resident. "There's certain things as a person, to finish the grieving process, that you have to do. This is one of the things I have to do. I have to come back and be able to watch the team and know that we're moving forward.
"This morning, I was a train wreck. This afternoon, I'm a little bit better."
Walsh was a senior on the 2006 team, and remained at Tech last year to finish work on her degree. She was attending class in Norris when she went into the hallway to investigate what the class presumed was construction noise.
Instead, she saw Cho Seung-Hui, who aimed at her. A bullet went past her ear as she pushed the teacher's assistant back into their classroom and bolted back inside.
"He shot and missed my head by a centimeter," she said. "I felt the bullet graze past my head."
Walsh, who still has diminished hearing in her right ear, was part of the Game 1 crowd.
"Many people in this crowd don't even know who I am, and it's good because you can walk by them and smile like you're just a normal Hokie," Walsh said.
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