On paper, the Flames presented a much tougher challenge for the No. 18 Cavaliers in 2025, having ranked as high as 34th in RPI and even winning one of two matchups. The meeting tonight comes during a much different season — after a 2-1 victory Wednesday night, No. 18 Virginia (28-3, 6-2 ACC) is now only 10 wins away from matching its 2025 total with 18 games still to play. The Cavaliers are ranked 25th in RPI, while Liberty (14-16, 7-2 CUSA) slots in at a distant 63rd.
The visitors soared into Charlottesville red-hot, having won three in a row. However, even a pleasant spring breeze and a sturdy defensive performance were not enough to fan the Flames — their streak was extinguished by the eighth victory in the last 10 games for the Cavaliers.
The Cavalier offense had only mustered two hits entering the sixth inning. Down a run, they began to heat up after a walk from junior infielder Bella Cabral and a single from senior outfielder Kelsey Hackett put two runners on base with only one out. Sophomore infielder Alex Call stepped up to the plate and hammered a RBI single to bring Cabral home for their first run of the game.
With the score now tied, freshman catcher and utility player Hannah Weismer delivered a sacrifice fly, bringing Hackett in to take the lead, a lead Virginia would preserve.
Postgame, Call spoke to the Cavaliers’ ability to string hits together and build momentum.
“It’s that electric spark when someone just starts the inning and you just know we're gonna get it right here,” Call said. "We know it's a big moment. We know we're gonna pull through.”
In what was a defensive battle for much of the night, senior infielder Jade Hylton and Call provided plenty of highlights. Hylton assisted on the last out of the top of the first inning on what could have been a blown play — she snagged a ball, tipped off Layne’s glove, and threw a bullet toward first base to beat the runner.
In addition to providing the game-tying RBI, Call assisted on five outs, including the game-winning out. Liberty batters hit many balls right in between right field and center, and the sophomore was able to corral and toss them all to first.
A solid night in the field for the Cavaliers complemented commanding performances from senior pitcher Courtney Layne, freshman pitcher Taylor Smith and senior pitcher Eden Bigham. Although Layne gave up a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth, the ace allowed only two other hits across her 4.1 innings pitched, with five strikeouts and zero walks to boot.
Smith entered the game in the fifth inning with zero outs and a runner on first, and proceeded to mow down her first two batters. The freshman was impressive in her short outing, tossing one inning with two strikeouts, only one hit and zero walks. Bigham replaced her in the sixth, striking out her first batter before walking the bases loaded.
The senior, however, had no trouble getting herself out of the tough situation with her second strikeout retiring the side. She closed out the game for the Cavaliers, tossing 1.2 innings with three strikeouts, allowing one hit and walking two.
“Our pitchers and our pitching staff are phenomenal,” Call said. “It definitely takes the pressure off of the offense … We know they're going to have our backs and know that they're just going to hold off the other team until we can get it together at the plate.”
Pittsburgh comes to town this weekend at Palmer Park for Virginia’s fourth conference series. The Cavaliers have possessed the advantage as of late, winning eight straight meetings going back to 2021. The Panthers (17-13, 4-5 ACC) will not be a pushover, though — they present a challenge for the defense, as they are one of the most effective teams on the basepaths in the ACC.
Coach Joanna Hardin noted adjustments the Cavaliers could make to limit the Panthers’ ability to steal.
“If we could score first and get a lead, that helps, it limits the run game,” Hardin said. “Then, we throw more runners out when Jade's covering … We might move Jade up the middle a little bit and give Alex a little more room to cover.”
Should the Cavaliers win the series, they would position themselves well to leapfrog No. 19 Duke in the conference standings. Virginia is currently third in the ACC, while the Blue Devils (22-10, 8-1) are second — the two will meet for Virginia’s fifth conference series in Durham. In the meantime, however, beating Pittsburgh will be the focus for Hardin’s squad.
The first pitch for the weekend series is currently scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.
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