Virginia cruised through its initial run of ACC competition, downing North Carolina and Syracuse in its first two conference series. After a sweep of Pitt in their third series, the Cavaliers (35-12, 12-10 ACC) entered the toughest stretch of their season — series against No. 12 Duke, No. 16 Virginia Tech and No. 23 Clemson — with plenty of momentum.
Coach Joanna Hardin’s squad, however, was stopped dead in its tracks, getting swept twice and losing all three series to drop out of eligibility for a bye in the conference tournament. Fortunately for the Cavaliers, a weekend series victory against NC State will help to right the ship heading into the postseason.
The Cavaliers run-ruled the Wolfpack (25-22, 6-13 ACC) 8-0, ending the contest and getting off the field in the fifth inning before the afternoon downpour arrived in Charlottesville. The weekend’s second game began similarly to the first — freshman Taylor Smith, just as senior Eden Bigham did yesterday, walked the bases loaded but managed to escape the inning with two strikeouts and without a single NC State runner crossing home plate to score.
Smith tossed her best game of the season Saturday, throwing a no-hitter across 5.0 innings with three strikeouts and three walks.
“Yeah, I really didn't think about it too much while I was pitching,” Smith said. “I was just trying to take it one pitch at a time, and obviously my defense played really good … They made some really big plays behind me, and … being able to bounce back just meant a lot.”
Aside from the top of the first and the ultimate outcome of the affair, Virginia’s second win over the Wolfpack was hardly like their first — unlike Friday, the Cavaliers never trailed. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to a ball skied over the left field wall by junior infielder Bella Cabral, once again starting at designated player, to bring her and fellow junior infielder Macee Eaton home.
Cabral has hit two home runs in her last three starts, and her moonshot today broke her tie with Eaton for the team lead, a feat made all the more remarkable on account of her multi-week absence due to injury. She has also gradually played more in the infield as a defensive substitution, where her presence is key for team chemistry.
“She’s the glue,” Hardin said. “She can hit. You know she can hit. Everybody in the country knows she can hit. She loves defense, and having her on the field just brings a different level of communication … It is different having her confidence, her comfortability. I think she limits the short game because of her quickness, and so that makes hitters second guess whether they can drop the bunt.”
Virginia’s lead would only grow. In the bottom of the third, Eaton and Cabral would reach base, allowing a single from redshirt freshman catcher Reagan Hickey to bring Eaton home yet again. It was the catcher’s third consecutive game with at least one RBI. The next at bat, senior outfielder Kelsey Hackett singled to load the bases, with Cabral advancing to third.
After a flyout from freshman outfielder Jaiden Griffith, sophomore infielder Alex Call ended her seven-game RBI-less streak in the grandest fashion possible — a towering shot over the left field wall for a grand slam to give the Cavaliers one of their largest leads in their recent stretch of conference play. Freshman utility player Hannah Weismer would secure the 8-0 run-rule win with an RBI single to score Hackett.
“Confidence is a big piece ... the biggest takeaway I saw from Alex and Hannah,” Hardin said. “Across the board, just confidence to get up there and keep swinging.”
With the series now clinched, the Cavaliers will aim for a sweep and a victory in the final game on the weekend. First pitch tomorrow is slated for 12 p.m. at Palmer Park.
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