In Virginia’s first meeting with Liberty, it took the Cavaliers (37-12, 13-10 ACC) six innings to get on the board, with the bats only collecting two hits to that point. In the second meeting Tuesday in Lynchburg, the Flames’ (23-27, 15-9 SBC) hopes for victory were quickly extinguished with a leadoff moonshot in the first inning from senior infielder Jade Hylton.
The hit was the senior’s second consecutive leadoff homer — the third instance of back-to-back games with home runs for Hylton this season — as well as her fourth homer in the last seven games.
Seniors defined Tuesday’s 4-0 victory, the team’s fourth consecutive win and the final affair of the regular season. While Hylton jumpstarted the Cavalier scoring, fellow senior Eden Bigham ensured Liberty’s offense stalled. Freshman Taylor Smith started in the circle, getting through the first two sides with a walk and a hit but no runs allowed. Bigham entered the circle in the third and tossed five innings, throwing six strikeouts with zero walks and only one hit, earning her 13th win.
Coach Joanna Hardin praised her longtime ace’s performance in the final regular-season outing of her career.
“Eden Bigham was an absolute stud tonight, throwing everything in the zone,” Hardin said. “I’m proud of her coming out and owning the circle in her hometown to close out the regular season that way.”
Virginia’s offense provided plenty of run support for the senior, with junior infielder Bella Cabral and redshirt freshman catcher Reagan Hickey adding two additional runs to the board with a sacrifice fly and a solo homer, respectively, in the third inning. It was Cabral’s 46th RBI of the season — good for second on the team — and Hickey’s deep shot moved the catcher into a tie with Hylton for third on the team in home runs, with each having 10.
The Cavaliers’ scoring did not end there — in the fourth inning, after Hylton reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases, junior infielder Macee Eaton was walked, bringing in freshman utility player Hannah Weismer to make the score 4-0, where it would remain.
For Hardin, the team’s victory — and overall strong performance to close out the season — inspired confidence ahead of the conference tournament.
“One of our keys today was show up and finish well,” Hardin said. “That’s important at this point of the season. It’s a grind. We’re ready for a little break here before the ACC Tournament. I’m proud of this team for staying true and steadfast … It’s a long season. I’m proud of how we finished out.”
Virginia sits at sixth in the ACC standings. Since they stand far behind fifth-place No. 17 Virginia Tech and since No. 22 Clemson, in fourth place, has zero regular-season games left, the Cavaliers’ position is not going to change between now and the first day of the tournament. Currently, the Cavaliers are set to face Pitt, who sits at 11th place, May 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Hardin’s squad got the better of the Panthers (24-24, 7-14 ACC) in their weekend series earlier this season, pulling off a sweep. There is, of course, another advantage the Cavaliers possess for the conference tournament — it will be held at Palmer Park. Should Virginia win its first-round matchup, the Cavaliers are set to face third-place No. 24 Louisville, who they have yet to play this season.
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