Beth Walker's three-run home run in the 10th inning lifted the 18th-ranked Virginia Tech softball team to a wild 5-2 win over the No. 14 North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday at Blacksburg, Va.

The second game was halted in the bottom of the sixth inning because of rain with North Carolina (47-9-1, 16-2 ACC) leading 2-0 and will resume today.

In the 10th inning of the opener, Kelsey Hoffman reached to lead off the inning on an error and was pinch run for by Jess Hodge. A single by Misty Hall put two on with two out. Walker then crushed the first pitch she saw to deep center field to set off a raucous celebration.

The Hokies (40-12, 16-3) scored single runs in the third and fifth innings.

In the third, Caroline Stolle led off with a walk and scored on Erin Ota's double to the left-center gap. In the fifth inning, Charisse Mariwalked, stole second and scored on Kelsey Hoffman's single.

UNC took advantage of a two-out error in the sixth inning to tie the score at 2-2.

Cassie Palmer tallied her 50th career double over the left fielder's head to score Breanna Brown from first, who had reached on the error. Danielle Spaulding then delivered a run-scoring single up the middle to tie it up.

Angela Tincher (29-5) went the distance for the Hokies, throwing 138 pitches. She allowed two unearned runs on four hits with 16 strikeouts.

ALSO SATURDAY

MORE SOFTBALL

FLORIDA STATE 1-4, N.C. STATE 0-3: Jessica Gilmore drove in the winning run for Florida State in both games as the host Seminoles (35-23, 11-9 ACC) swept N.C. State (29-25, 8-12).

In the opener, Gilmore's RBI single in the bottom of the sixth drove in the onlyh run.

Lindsay Campana (17-16) took a tough loss for the Wolfpack in the opener, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out eight.

In the second game, Gilmore's two-out hit in the eighth broke a 3-3 tie.

EAST CAROLINA 9-12, MEMPHIS 4-11: Visiting East Carolina (23-25, 8-11 C-USA) pounded out 21 runs, 21 hits and induced 11 errors as it swept a doubleheader from Memphis (24-26, 4-15).

The Pirates broke a four-game losing streak.

Junior Brooke Swann (20-18) picked up both wins. She needs just one more victory to move her into a tie for 10th place on the ECU single-season ledger.