The Virginia softball team entered Tuesday evening's matchup against JMU riding a five-game losing streak — one that began with a series loss to Virginia Tech and a sweep at Clemson. But the struggles ran deeper than that. Dating back to their series against Duke, the Cavaliers had gone just 2-10, making a win against the Dukes feel less like a goal and more like a lifeline.
For most of the night, it looked like that lifeline was in reach.
But in the cruelest of fashions, Virginia (33-12, 10-10 ACC) watched a late lead slip away in the final inning, falling to JMU (22-22, 8-10 SBC) by a score of 9-7 and extending the losing streak to six.
Freshman Taylor Smith received the start for the Cavaliers but exited nearly as quickly as she entered. The freshman had been solid all season, holding batters to a .203 average with a 3.26 ERA, but surrendered four quick runs in the first inning. Senior Courtney Layne came in to relieve her and closed out the frame, limiting the damage.
The Cavaliers responded quickly, scoring two runs of their own. Senior Jade Hylton led off the inning with a double, then scored on a hit by junior Macee Eaton. Eaton herself would then score on a double from freshman Reagan Hickey before the inning was over.
Layne then clamped down on the JMU offense, keeping the Dukes off the scoreboard for the next three innings. The Virginia offense returned the favor, plating five runs across the third and fourth innings to retake the lead and push it to three.
"We got punched in the face in the first inning, and I loved how we responded," Coach Joanna Hardin said. "We took the lead and responded to some of the adversity we’ve been working ourselves through."
The first of those five runs came in the third on an RBI single from Hickey. The fourth inning, however, was where the Cavaliers truly seemed to take control.
It started with a bunt by sophomore Alex Call that forced an error, helped along by sharp baserunning from freshman Jaiden Griffith. Hylton then stepped to the plate — fresh off an at-bat where she fouled off three consecutive pitches, each of which would have been extra bases if fair. She channeled that frustration into a deep drive to center for a two-run home run.
Not to be outdone, Eaton immediately followed with a home run of her own, extending the lead and pulling even with junior Bella Cabral at 11 on the season, the most on the team.
Even after Layne surrendered a solo home run in the fifth, the Cavaliers still looked poised to snap their skid. Senior Eden Bigham replaced Layne in the sixth and retired the Dukes in order, not allowing a single hit or baserunner.
Then the seventh arrived.
Virginia entered the inning with a two-run lead. What followed was painful. Bigham allowed four runs on four hits before recording two late strikeouts that could not undo the damage. Unlike the first inning, when the Cavaliers answered the Dukes' early burst with a rally of their own, there would be no response this time.
"It's heartbreaking. We feel it with the players and didn't anticipate that happening. I'm proud of the fight," Hardin said. "I'm grateful to go to battle with them every day. I'm proud of the effort. It didn't fall our way."
The Cavaliers could not claw back in the seventh, but the grit they flashed across every other inning was hard to ignore. That same fight will need to show up as Virginia returns to Palmer Park Friday, April 24, at 6 p.m. for a conference matchup against NC State. For a team that has stumbled to a 10-10 mark in league play, every remaining ACC game carries added weight as the ACC tournament approaches, and Friday's contest against the Wolfpack is as close to a must-win as it gets.
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