The Virginia softball team had been reeling heading into last weekend. The Cavaliers (11-23, 2-7 ACC) had lost eight of their last nine games and looked to be struggling at a critical juncture in the season.
However, a win against Longwood (14-11, 3-1 BSC) last week — a win that snapped the team’s eight-game losing streak — might have been exactly what Virginia needed to start playing consistent, winning softball.
The Cavaliers, looking to gain momentum and string together a couple of wins after winning against Longwood, traveled to face Pittsburgh (19-11, 3-6 ACC) and pulled out the series win against the Panthers in convincing fashion.
In the first game of the series, Virginia’s offense impressed right off the bat, scoring three runs in the first-inning to give the Cavaliers an early lead. Virginia never relinquished that lead and took the first game of the series 8-5.
After a competitive first couple of innings in the second game of the series, Pittsburgh’s offense exploded to the tune of four home runs. The Panthers ran away with an 11-3 win.
In the series finale — the second game of Saturday’s double header — junior outfielder Iyana Hughes hit a key three-run homerun in the seventh inning to help Virginia win the tightly contested game, 4-2.
Virginia will now head back to Charlottesville to play a single game series against Radford Tuesday at 5 p.m., and then play a two game series against James Madison at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday.
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