No one would confuse Wednesday's softball doubleheader against James Madison with last weekend's Elite Eight in terms of excitement. But for Virginia, that didn't matter.
True -- the Cavaliers and the Dukes were able to muster only two runs between them in the two games yesterday afternoon, but each team came out on top. Virginia (13-18, 2-1 ACC) split a pair of 1-0 games with James Madison (14-17), with the Dukes taking the first and the Cavaliers pulling out the second and final game of the series. Both games were dominated by survival pitching and flat hitting.
Virginia junior pitcher Erin Horn earned the win in the second game of the doubleheader and epitomized the gutsy pitching performance needed to pull out a close victory. In the second, third, fifth and seventh innings, Horn was able to pitch herself out of the inning with runners in scoring position.
"I thought Erin was excellent," Virginia coach Cheryl Sprangel said. "She had control most of the game, but when she got behind, she managed to work it back. She never gave it up."
Horn only got stronger in the last two innings. In the sixth, after retiring the first batter easily, Horn battled hard against sophomore Katie George and, on the eighth pitch, got her to line out to freshman shortstop Kierstie Cameron. For the third out, Horn used a beautiful array of fastballs and changeups to strike out the batter.
Horn was able to survive a scare in the seventh. With a runner on third, Horn retired junior Briana Carrera, who went 3-6 on the day for the Dukes, on a foul ball and striking out senior Natalie Burd to end the game.
"With runners in scoring position, that's where the pitchers are picking it up and making a difference," Sprangel said.
Virginia's lone run came in the sixth, when junior Jessica Taylor led off by pulling a high and away pitch over the right fielder's head for a double. A batter later, junior Sara Larquier dropped a double into right center field, scoring Taylor. Larquier, however, was thrown out trying to advance to third, and senior Jenn Wynn struck out to end the inning. But that was enough for the Cavaliers, as they kept their one-run lead for the rest of the game.
"Jess led off with a great double," Larquier said. "It's just the job of the three hitter to step up and hit that ball in play. It was obviously real important because we hadn't been pushing that runner up. It's just in the job description for a 3-4-5 hitter."
In the first game, the Cavaliers were not able to catch up after the Dukes took a one-run lead in the first inning. Virginia only managed two hits in that game and left freshman pinch runner Kathryn Mirras stranded on third base to end the game.
Coty Tolar recorded the loss for the Cavaliers, putting her record at 2-5 on the year.
The Cavaliers are beginning to come together just as the beginning of ACC play starts. Virginia is 8-4 over its last 12 games. They continue their conference play this weekend, with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets coming to Charlottesville. The three-game series will be the first of April, which means the intensity will start to pick up as Virginia heads deeper into conference play.
"I think we are putting things together, especially this past weekend when we played NC State [winning two of three]," Horn said. "ACC games are definitely the most exciting games. That's where all the pride is at"
Read More
Woolfolk’s gem, early-innings barrage propel Virginia to opening win over Miami
By Xander Tilock and Stephen O'Dea | 2 hours agoVirginia takes a pivotal opening contest against the Hurricanes.
No. 25 Virginia exits the ACC Championship after loss No. 15 Clemson
By Ben McNiff | 3 hours agoThe Cavaliers fought admirably, but could not sneak past Clemson.
Ryan Nelson’s journey is complicated — and it is mapped out through tattoo art
By Xander Tilock | 17 hours agoNelson, one of the program's best offensive lineman in recent memory, shares his story.
