This weekend against Georgia Tech, Virginia women's softball was tested with an extra-inning loss, untimely errors and a string of missed opportunities that refused to go their way. But when it mattered most, the Cavaliers answered, taking the series 2-1 and improving to 25-3 overall and 4-2 in the ACC.
Opening the weekend against Georgia Tech (17-13, 5-4 ACC), Coach Joanna Hardin called upon junior Julia Cuozzo to start in the circle for Virginia. She started the game with three first-pitch strikes and a clean one-two-three inning. Much of the same followed over the next three innings, as she surrendered only three hits and no runs.
During those four innings, junior third baseman Bella Cabral powered through a jam shot for a single into center in the first inning, scoring the first run of the weekend. The second run came in the second inning on an error off a ground ball hit by freshman outfielder Jaiden Griffith, scoring freshman utility player and catcher Hannah Weismer.
Then in the top of the fifth, senior Courtney Layne stepped into the circle ready to close things out. She surrendered only one hit, but it proved costly, cutting the Cavalier lead to one. The damage could have been worse if not for senior outfielder Kassidy Hudson nearly robbing a home run at the centerfield fence — she got a glove on it but could not hold on. That would be the only run Georgia Tech scored, as the pitching duo of Cuozzo and Layne combined to pick up the first win of the series.
"Our pitching staff always gives us a chance to win," said Hardin. "They're exceptional … and they pair really well."
The next game proved far more difficult, as the Cavaliers were pulled into an intense extra-inning battle. The game was riddled with situational mishaps and razor-thin plays that did not go Virginia's way.
"You know, there's times you get beat and there's times we lose,” Hardin said. “I think I just felt like we lost that game. We had so many opportunities to come through, and at some point you're playing with fire, you're going to get burned."
Virginia stranded 14 base runners, with multiple instances of runners in scoring position and no outs producing nothing. The missed opportunities mounted until the 10th inning, with two surrendered runs, one of them on a crucial play at the plate that did not go the Cavaliers' way. The final score was a 5-7 loss, tying the series at 1-1. Amid the defeat, junior Macee Eaton stood out in the three hole, going four-for-six with no strikeouts and driving in one of Virginia's five RBIs on the day.
It was a tough pill to swallow, but it was not unfamiliar territory. Last year, Virginia went to extra innings six times, with only one of those reaching the 10th. So far this season, the Cavaliers have reached extras three times in just two weekends — two of which came in last weekend's matchup against UNC.
On Sunday afternoon, senior Eden Bigham stepped into the circle to close out the final game of the series.
For Bigham, it was nothing short of a bounce-back performance. After giving up three runs and five hits in three innings during the second game against the Yellow Jackets, the Cavaliers leaned on her to carry the load in the finale — and she delivered. Bigham went the distance, pitching a complete game while surrendering just one run and striking out seven.
Her outing was made easier by an offense that also bounced back from Saturday's frustrations. Virginia built a comfortable five-run lead, with Eaton and Hudson anchoring the attack and combining to drive in four of the five runs. The Cavaliers closed out the day with a 5-1 win, taking the series 2-1.
Even after a long weekend, there is little time to rest. Virginia faces JMU Tuesday at 4 p.m. in an away game in Harrisonburg before returning to ACC play that weekend for a three-game series against Syracuse. The Cavaliers will look to carry Sunday's momentum forward as they push deeper into a demanding stretch of conference matchups.
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