The Virginia softball team (5-21, 1-8 ACC) dropped all three of its games against Louisville (13-7, 6-0 ACC), falling 5-0 and 5-4 in Saturday’s doubleheader before Sunday’s 7-5 loss. The Cavaliers have managed just one win in their last nine games.
In the first game, Virginia remained hitless until the seventh inning when freshman infielder Danni Ingraham broke up the no-hitter with a two-out single. Despite loading the bases on two consecutive hits by sophomore catcher Katie Park and freshman Brittany McNulla, Virginia was unable to push a run across the plate as the team was shutout 5-0. Louisville sophomore pitcher Maryssa Becker tallied eight strikeouts in the complete game victory.
The bats came alive for the Cavaliers in the second game, striking first in the third inning with a triple by senior infielder Megan Harris. Junior outfielder Aimee Chapdelaine then launched the ball into the center field stands to give Virginia a 2-0 lead.
The Cardinals responded in the bottom of the fifth with two runs to even the score, but the Cavaliers tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth to again claim the lead. An RBI triple by sophomore infielder Kaitlin Fitzgerald scored freshman Allison Davis, before Park knocked home junior outfielder Taylor Sarcone, pinch running for Fitzgerald, to cushion Virginia’s lead to 4-2.
The Cavaliers looked to hold on for the win, leading 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Louisville’s Kelsi Jones homered to notch the walk-off victory as Virginia fell 5-4.
In the series finale, the Cavaliers pounced to gain a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Chapdelaine. An error by the Cardinals and another RBI by Chapdelaine allowed Virginia to take a 3-1 lead after the top of the second inning.
After adding runs in the second and fourth inning, the Cardinals claimed a 5-3 lead with a two-run homer in the fifth. The Cavaliers immediately answered with a two-run shot of their own as Harris put a ball into the stands to knot the game at 5-5. However, the Cardinals were able to complete the sweep after adding two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to earn a 7-5 victory over Virginia.
Virginia will next visit Harrisonburg to compete against James Madison in a Wednesday doubleheader. The games were moved to Wednesday following their March 4 postponement due to inclement weather. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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