Virginia Tech will face second-seeded No. 11 Duke in the semifinal tomorrow, while Virginia will discover their next opponent in the NCAA Regionals following the Selection Sunday ceremony this weekend.
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.
“You could just feel like everyone took a deep breath,” Hardin said.
Virginia entered the inning with a two-run lead. What followed was painful.
“We are all disappointed on how the weekend played out,” Hardin said. “Our execution in multiple phases was inconsistent, however, it’s not for lack of effort or intent by the team and the staff."
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.
“The overall performance in all phases was disappointing tonight,” Hardin said. “I know we’re capable of more than we showed and I know our team believes the same."
“I think we'll continue to find our group and find our rhythm,” Hardin said, “This is tough stuff, because they feel so frustrated and upset, because it really matters to them. They care, and I think they can really appreciate that about the girls. So we'll continue to communicate, continue to fill out our depths and our distances together.”
Both programs now have 10 ACC wins, with the final game of the series serving as a tiebreaker for the third seed in the conference tournament.
The victory is the Cavaliers’ 10th ACC win of the season, their first since a sweep at the hands of Duke last weekend. Tomorrow, Virginia will aim to clinch their first Commonwealth Clash in 15 years — first pitch is slated for 2 p.m.
Coach Joanna Hardin’s squad is set to face No. 12 Virginia Tech Friday at Palmer Park not just looking for a win, but searching for the version of itself that successfully fought through those first four conference series.
The win can be seen as a huge morale boost going into this weekend’s series against rival No. 12 Virginia Tech.
The sweep stings, and the numbers tell the story plainly.
The loss drops Virginia to 0-2 against Duke on the series, an impossible hole to climb out of with just one game remaining. The Cavaliers have shown flashes of the team that entered the weekend ranked among the nation's best, but timely hitting and late-game execution have been elusive all series.
The first four batters in Virginia's lineup were held hitless, while Duke's top four combined for four hits.
