In an interview on the eve of the tournament, Coach Joanna Hardin commented on the unpredictability of this time of year, especially for the ACC.
“There's nobody in this league that's easy,” Hardin said. “This is a tough league, so it doesn't really matter what the RPI rankings say, like everybody is tough and the postseason is about everyone's own. It's a blank slate.”
That sentiment proved truer than ever in the first round of the ACC Championship. Sixth-seeded Virginia softball managed to snatch a 2-1 win over 11th-seeded Pitt to advance, but the road to victory was not without obstacles. A tale of two starkly different innings for the Cavaliers (38-12, 14-10 ACC) and the Panthers (25-27, 8-18 ACC) set the tone for the night early.
Wednesday’s first inning came and went. Senior infielder Jade Hylton threw out the first two batters at first off a pair of ground balls, and senior Courtney Layne, Hardin’s choice to start in the circle for the opening affair, struck out the third to retire the side. With the exception of junior infielder Bella Cabral, no Cavaliers reached base in the bottom of the inning.
The next inning could not have been more different. Pitt batters got to work early, with two runners reaching bases before the Cavaliers managed to record a single out. After a flyout, a deep single appeared to result in the inning’s second out as freshman outfielder Jaiden Griffith managed an impressive heave home for the tag. However, a Panther challenge and subsequent review overturned the original call at the plate, dropping Virginia into a one-run hole.
A wild pitch, a walk and a dropped third strike loaded the bases, putting Layne in a high-pressure situation which she managed to escape, tossing her second K of the night for the final out to retire the side. Layne tossed three innings with three strikeouts, one walk and one earned run before senior Eden Bigham entered the circle in the fourth.
Bigham took control of the game almost immediately, with some help from the glove and arm of redshirt freshman catcher Reagan Hickey. The senior mowed down her first batter in the fourth, but the redshirt freshman was responsible for the final two outs of the side, via a chase down on a pop-up and a laser to catch a runner stealing second.
The offense remained stagnant until the sixth inning. With two outs already recorded and only four standing between Virginia and an early exit from the tournament, Eaton entered the batter’s box with zero runners on. After working her way to a 3-1 count, the junior smacked a low-arcing shot deep into the center field bleachers.
It was her 12th home run. It was also one of the most important hits of Virginia’s season, accompanied by a well-deserved, thunderous crowd pop.
“I get in the box, everything goes silent,” Eaton said. “I kind of go tunnel vision, and I just tell myself, I'm gonna get the job done. I don't think about anything negative. I know they're gonna come in my zone, and when they do, I'm gonna make them pay for it … It went pretty far.”
With the game tied, Bigham continued to star in the circle, striking out all three batters she faced in the top of the seventh to preserve the tie. She had a dominant outing, tossing four innings with seven strikeouts and zero walks.
In the bottom of the inning, Hickey got things started with a double, setting up senior outfielder Kelsey Hackett for perhaps the most consequential at-bat of her career.
Hackett more than met the moment, laying down a bunt to bring the pinch runner home for the winning score. The moment was bittersweet, however, as the senior went down with a noncontact injury in her run to first, remaining down with trainers for around a minute immediately following the victory.
“We've got a great medical staff,” Hardin said. “We’ll assess and see what's going on. We're excited to get the win, and I think that's important. The first question [Hackett] asked, ‘Did we score, is the game over?’ … So that was important for her.”
Despite the early frustrations Wednesday and Hackett’s injury, the Cavaliers are in high spirits ahead of a matchup with third-seeded, No. 16-ranked Virginia Tech, who took the Commonwealth Clash earlier this season in a series defined by close games. Bigham noted the team’s focus ahead of the rematch with their rival.
“I think tomorrow's a new day,” Bigham said. “The pieces that we were missing today will come back tomorrow.”
The first pitch against the Hokies (44-9, 18-6 ACC) is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
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