The month of April has not been kind to the Cavaliers.
After entering its series against Duke with only two losses on the year, Virginia (34-12, 11-10 ACC) went 2-10 over its next 12 games. Nine of those defeats were in conference play, and six of them were part of a streak which died tonight in the series opener against NC State.
The Cavaliers emerged victorious on a pleasant spring evening at Palmer Park, outpacing the Wolfpack (25-21, 6-12 ACC) 3-1. The first inning started dangerously — a single, a hit by pitch and a walk loaded the bases for the visitors with only one out. Disaster, for a moment, appeared to have reared its ugly head, just as it had against No. 12 Duke, No. 16 Virginia Tech, No. 23 Clemson and James Madison.
However, senior outfielder Kassidy Hudson, in her second game back from injury, tracked down a fly ball and managed to get a throw off which held the runner at third. It was the second out she was responsible for in the inning. The third came from her compatriot at the other end of the grass. Senior outfielder Kelsey Hackett snagged a ball in left field, allowing Virginia to escape the side unscathed.
Virginia would find itself down early, following a Wolfpack RBI single in the third inning to bring a runner home from third, but the deficit would not last long. In the bottom of the fourth, junior infielder Macee Eaton doubled to open the side. Consecutive outs seemed to indicate an incoming missed opportunity, but Hackett mashed a single to give Eaton a chance at scoring.
Eaton rounded third and sprinted home.
While a throw to the catcher came close to beating her out, the ball glanced off the tip of the mitt and the junior was able to slide safely home, tying the game. Cavalier faithful at Palmer voiced their approval with quite the crowd pop — it was a moment of catharsis for a beleaguered Virginia squad.
When asked about the pivotal moment, Coach Joanna Hardin expressed relief at the eventual victory.
“You could just feel like everyone took a deep breath,” Hardin said. “Our fans are behind us too. They have our back … I've had parents on the team, fans on the team text me and email me that they're with us … That's a testament to these women [on the team]. They're just wonderful, wonderful people. Really, really happy and proud of them.”
The home team would find similar relief on defense — it was an evening filled with plenty of highlights in the field for the Cavaliers, multiple of which starred sophomore infielder Alex Call. The versatile underclassman has seen time at both second and third base this season. Today, she got the start at third, with junior infielder Bella Cabral beginning the day as a designated player.
Call was responsible for key outs in both the third and fifth innings, lasering two throws to Eaton at first base — one to retire the side following a Wolfpack score and one for a double play to start the inning, respectively. Senior infielder Jade Hylton had quite the day herself, assisting on all three outs in the top of the sixth.
Senior pitcher Courtney Layne, who relieved fellow senior Eden Bigham in the circle, tossed three innings, only allowing two hits with a strikeout and zero walks. Layne noted her appreciation for the stellar defensive display.
“It's really comforting knowing that I have a defense like that behind me,” Layne said. “It just makes it a lot easier for me to just be out there, throw my pitches, be free, because I know they have my back every single time, and they really showed out today.”
Even without the lead, spirits were high at Palmer — they would only rise as the Cavaliers took the lead in the sixth inning with a home run courtesy of redshirt freshman catcher Reagan Hickey. Her eighth homer of the season gave Virginia a 3-1 advantage, and came following her previous at-bat, a lengthy 12-pitch battle.
“She was so competitive, she was so locked,” Hardin said. “She's on time. She was fighting, fighting, fighting … I think that really set her up for that next one, to get the right swing, to be on time for it.”
The Cavaliers would hold the Wolfpack off from closing the gap, with Eaton being responsible for the final three outs to clinch the victory. The second game of the series is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday.
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