‘Work hard, party harder,’ is a statement many students live by during their time on Grounds. This past weekend, Virginia softball was able to do a little bit of both, making quick work of its visitors in a sweep of the field for the Party at Palmer Invitational. The Cavaliers’ (19-1, 0-0 ACC) efforts added five wins to their resume, bringing their win streak — and their total — to 19, just six wins away from the program record for consecutive victories.
Earlier this week, Virginia soundly defeated Longwood and overcame a strong challenge from George Mason largely thanks to junior infielder Bella Cabral, who hit 4-for-4 with four homers, eight RBIs and two walks across those contests. Fortunately for the Cavaliers, the party had just begun for Cabral.
In the first game against Michigan, Virginia found themselves tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth, but a Cabral RBI single granted a one run advantage. Following a solo homer from freshman catcher and utility player Hannah Weismer in the fifth — her third in as many games — Cabral sent up her fifth of the week the next inning, cementing a 6-2 victory over the Wolverines (15-5, 0-0 Big Ten). Her homer also gave her the team lead.
The second game of the weekend came against Bucknell. The Cavaliers cruised to victory after three run first inning, ultimately winning 5-0 over the Bison (1-13, 0-0 PL). Notably, freshman Taylor Smith and junior Julia Cuozzo combined for a no-hitter in the circle.
Results from the first two games pleased Coach Joanna Hardin.
“The pitching staff attacked both offenses, mixed speeds exceptionally well and kept the momentum in our dugout for all 14 innings,” Hardin said. “The offense is clicking well, and executing the game plan game to game, pitcher to pitcher.”
The Cavaliers continued to click in their next two contests. Against Villanova, Virginia capitalized on walks and a wild pitch to race out to a 3-0 lead after the first. The Wildcats (2-18, 0-0 Big East) managed to narrow the differential to a single run, but a late offensive barrage lifted Virginia to a 10-2 win. The Cavaliers’ second meeting with Bucknell was a 7-0 victory, with yet another homer from Cabral.
Virginia achieved their 15th-18th victories by a total advantage of 24 runs. The 19th, in the rematch against Michigan, came by just one.
An RBI single from Eaton brought senior infielder Jade Hylton home in the first. The lead lasted two innings. With the bases loaded from a walk and two singles, the Wolverines brought every runner home with an RBI double to take a 3-1 lead. A ground out brought another runner home to leave the Cavaliers in a three run hole entering the fourth.
No runs were scored in the fourth, fifth or sixth innings. Senior Courtney Layne took over for Cuozzo for the remainder of the game, only allowing two hits with four strikeouts and zero walks in 4.0 innings. Junior Gabby Ellis, who started the entire game in the circle for the Wolverines, shut down the Virginia offense, only allowing four hits from the first through the sixth.
To begin the seventh, Layne allowed one hit with two flyouts — one a sprinting outfield grab from senior outfielder Kassidy Hudson — and a strikeout preventing Michigan batters from widening the deficit.
Leading off the seventh was sophomore infielder Alex Call, slotted at eighth in the order. Call had given Michigan plenty of trouble prior to her at-bat in the seventh, having hit 4-for-6, with a double and a triple across both matchups to that point. She continued to do so, hammering a double — a near homer — to right field. A few pitches later, freshman outfielder Jaiden Griffith lined a single to third, and a drop by the Wolverines allowed her to reach base.
Thanks to the pair of underclassmen, Virginia was now in perfect position, with two runners on base, zero outs and the top of the batting order set to see the plate. Call and Griffith did wait long to see the fruits of their labor — a single from Hylton loaded the bases, and even with a Hudson strikeout, Eaton and Cabral were due up. Eaton would add a single of her own, yielding two runs as Call and Griffith reached home.
The stage seemed set for Cabral to punctuate her dominant week, but a hit-by-pitch sent the junior to first. The bases once again were loaded. Hackett popped up for the second out, sending redshirt freshman catcher and utility player Reagan Hickey to the plate with one out left to give.
Hickey, third on the team in home runs, has made her name with the power of her bat. This Sunday afternoon, however, her most valuable asset to the team was her patient eyes. Ellis tossed 115 pitches in this contest — Hickey sat back in the box and allowed the Wolverine’s’ control to wane, working her way to a 3-1 count and ultimately earning a game-tying walk.
With the score now 4-4, Weismer stepped up to the plate. The freshman had been on a hot streak this week, which would continue, just not with a fourth home run — rather, Weismer took advantage of the Michigan outfield’s deep alignment and popped a single to shallow left field, bringing home the winning score. Weismer, in her comments post-game, turned the focus on the team as whole, rather than herself.
“Stepping into the box in such a big moment, especially as a first-year, is definitely really intimidating,” Weismer said, “I know that we were having a really big rally and our team is really good with high-energy situations I felt really confident in my abilities, and I was really excited to perform any way I could … It was really incredible getting that hit for my team.”
Virginia had not trailed in the Invitational to that point and had not faced tight margins for almost a month. From their Feb. 13 20-0 defeat of Delaware State up until the final game of the Invitational this Sunday, the team outscored its opponents 115-20, a remarkable +95 run differential.
Margins got tight Sunday afternoon, and Virginia emerged with its 19th straight victory after playing seven games in six days, with another to come Tuesday against Radford. After Radford, the Cavaliers will face their next test — an away series against North Carolina next weekend.
“Everyone is getting us ready for ACC play,” Hardin said. “That’s what this part of the season is all about — seeing who can do what and when and how. It’s to put ourselves in high-leverage situations, put ourselves in tough situations and compete.”
The Tar Heels (17-1, 0-0 ACC) are among the best teams in the country despite not being ranked by USA Softball. They feature senior utility player and former Cavalier M.C. Eaton.
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