April has not been kind to the Cavaliers. Their month began with a sweep by No. 14 Duke in a series plagued with missed opportunities, and continued with their 15th consecutive series defeat in the Commonwealth Clash. The woes do not appear to be over — the opener to their road series against Clemson was a 12-4 loss, with eight runs scored by the home team across just the fifth and sixth innings.
After holding No. 10 Virginia Tech to one of its lowest-scoring weekends of the season, the Cavaliers (33-9, 10-8 ACC) were unable to limit a Tiger (28-17, 10-9 ACC) offense which has now scored double-digit runs in three consecutive conference games. Clemson did not waste time getting on the board, scoring once in the first and tacking on three more runs to its lead in the third.
Initially, Virginia’s offense appeared up to the challenge. In the top of the fifth, a single from senior infielder Jade Hylton and a walk from freshman outfielder Jaiden Griffith set up a runner in scoring position. Junior infielder Macee Eaton stepped up to the plate and delivered with an RBI single to bring Hylton home and cut the deficit to three.
It was Eaton’s 56th RBI on the season, extending her team lead. In the same frame, the Cavaliers quickly received a contribution from the batter who currently ranks second in the category despite a five-game absence due to a leg injury — in the third at-bat of her return, junior infielder Bella Cabral sent a ball over the center field wall.
Cabral’s 11th slam of the season — good for the team lead — tied the game at four.
“It’s great to have Bella Cabral back in the lineup,” Coach Joanna Hardin said. “Her home run was a catalyst for the offense and we have to build off that momentum to finish out a game.”
The tie would not last long, however, as a Clemson homer in the bottom of the inning put them up one, a lead that would only grow in an explosive offensive day for the Tigers. Virginia pitchers collectively allowed 16 hits while only striking out one Clemson batter. Senior Eden Bigham tossed the lone punch-out in relief of senior Courtney Layne — the performances of the upperclassmen were among the worst for each of them this season.
Virginia did not fare well in the infield either, committing two errors, and the bats were unable to keep up with the five Tiger runs in the sixth inning. The offense did not struggle for want of opportunity — the Cavaliers only managed two hits in their 13 opportunities with runners on.
“The overall performance in all phases was disappointing tonight,” Hardin said. “I know we’re capable of more than we showed and I know our team believes the same. I expect us to come out tomorrow as a different team and fight to even the series by playing the way I know we’re capable of playing.”
The defeat was Virginia’s sixth in its last eight games and represents another installment of one of the team’s roughest stretches in recent memory. Saturday, the Cavaliers will seek to avoid their third consecutive ACC series loss after entering the month with series victories in every conference matchup. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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