The Virginia softball team had been without its starting pitcher, sophomore Melanie Mitchell, for most of the last month because of a lingering injury. But during yesterday's 6-0 victory against in-state rival James Madison, the hard-throwing ace proved that she is not only back to full strength, but also that she is ready to be as dominant as ever.
Mitchell was in full control against the potent Dukes (23-11), tossing a complete, three-hit shutout game. The victory marked Mitchell's second win in as many starts and allowed Virginia (17-19) to post its first winning streak since March 12.
"Mel was fabulous out there," coach Eileen Schmidt said. "She did a good job of getting the leadoff batter out ... She didn't throw a lot of pitches, and she stayed ahead of the count the entire game, which was nice. She didn't play around very much, and she really just went after the hitters."
Mitchell wasted no time setting the tone of the game as she struck out the side in the first inning with a dazzling display of first-pitch fastballs and biting breaking balls. The James Madison lineup appeared to be completely off balance at the plate throughout the entire evening, striking out a total of 11 times.
The standout sophomore also exhibited impressive pitch control during the bout. Mitchell never yielded a walk to the Dukes and was seemingly able to place the ball wherever she intended it to go with pinpoint accuracy.
Mitchell used this accuracy to squash a James Madison scoring threat during the top half of the second inning. Senior catcher Katie Spitzer roped a double down the left field line with two outs, setting up a scoring opportunity for sophomore outfielder Lori Botkin. With the Dukes' first - and ultimately only - runner in scoring position sitting on second base, Mitchell blew two quick fastballs by Botkin to set up an off-speed pitch. The third pitch - a breaking ball - dropped near the right, outside corner of the plate for a called strike three to end the inning.
"You have to get ahead and throw strikes, because you know [the Dukes] going to swing the bat," Mitchell said. "They're not going to wait for strikes. I was just trying to get ahead with them, set up counts, and see if I could put them away with a chase pitch. It went [well]."
Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, Mitchell's solid outing allowed the offense to settle down early and avoid some of the erratic swinging that has plagued the group during recent games. Virginia tallied nine hits during the victory and returned to its typical style of offense - small ball.
The Cavaliers comfortably slapped balls into gaps, used sacrifice-bunts, stole bases and relished in opportunities to advance runners. Junior outfielder Giannina Cipolloni led the rejuvenated offense, beginning with a first inning infield single. The center fielder hit a grounder toward the shortstop but hustled down the line to beat out the throw to first. Cipolloni proceeded to steal second and third - the latter due to a errant pick-off throw - before her sister, freshman third baseman Erica Cipolloni, brought her home with an RBI-single up the middle.
"Scoring early runs helps any pitcher," Schmidt said. "When you come out and have a run or two on the board early, it definitely lets you relax a little ... and gives [Mitchell] a little wiggle room."
The Cavaliers gave Mitchell a little more wiggle room during the third inning, when they tacked on another hard-earned run. With one out recorded, senior catcher Alison Pittman reached base via a bunt single. The co-captain was then driven home by freshman second baseman Marcy Bowdren, who smacked a towering double off the center fielder's glove directly in front of the wall.
Bowdren came through again during the fifth inning as she brought Pittman and the elder Cipolloni home by way of a single into right field. The freshman's three RBIs helped the Cavaliers tally their highest scoring total during their last six games.
"It's clicking again," Mitchell said. "It's good to see us back on track. There weren't too many fancy plays - just get them on, get them over and get them in. It was very simple, and we executed it very well."
The reinvigorated Cavaliers now will hit the road to take on Florida State this weekend in a three-game series.
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