After losing six of their last eight games — including the first game of the series to Clemson — No. 23 Virginia came into Saturday desperately needing a win. And in an unfortunate series of events, the Cavaliers (33-10, 10-9 ACC) dropped yet another game to the Tigers (29-17, 11-9 ACC) in the South Carolina heat, 3-1.
The first inning and a half was nowhere close to offensive, each team experiencing 1-2-3 innings. However, in the bottom of the second, after freshman pitcher Taylor Smith walked the leadoff batter, things started to get hairy. Clemson sophomore catcher Corri Hicks waited on a fastball, smashing it out of the park for a towering two-run homerun, the Tigers now leading 2-0.
The Cavaliers looked like they were ready to respond in the top of the third, senior infielder Jade Hylton diving into second after hitting a double to the wall. The Clemson coaching staff then decided to intentionally walk junior infielder Macee Eaton and then unintentionally walk junior infielder Bella Cabral. With the bases loaded and two outs, redshirt freshman catcher Reagan Hickey stepped up to the plate with the hopes of changing the rhythm of the game.
What started as a promising at-bat quickly ended when Hickey popped up a foul towards the Tigers’ dugout, their first baseman making a stellar catch to end the inning and kill the momentum.
A similar opportunity presented itself in the top of the fourth inning for Virginia when Clemson decided to intentionally walk Hylton to load the bases with two outs. This time, it was freshman outfielder Jaiden Griffith’s turn to see if she could get the Cavaliers on the board — but her deepshot to left was caught.
Virginia brought in junior pitcher Julia Cuozzo to start the bottom of the fourth, Smith finishing her day with six strikeouts. Cuozzo got to work early, managing to get the Cavaliers out of a challenging inning. However, on a wild pitch in the top of the fifth, the Tigers struck again, furthering their lead to 3-0.
The game came down to the top of the seventh, the last chance for Virginia to get on the board. For the Cavaliers, they had their best case scenario in position — runners on first and second with Cabral up to bat. Perfectly placing her hit, Cabral hit a line drive to shallow right field which scored Griffith, Virginia now only down 3-1.
The rally came a little too late though, Hickey flying out to center on the next pitch to end the game and the Cavaliers’ chances of winning the series.
Although Virginia played a better game than it did in the first showdown of the series, a third consecutive ACC series loss is cause for concern, especially considering how the Cavaliers’ season started.
This series loss, however, boiled down to the lack of offense and stranded base runners — Virginia leaving 10 on base today. With the ACC Tournament on the horizon, the team must work out their offensive stall and get back on track.
The Cavaliers have the opportunity to get a much needed win Sunday at 12:00 p.m. against Clemson to prevent the sweep and gain back some confidence.
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