Virginia Softball Drops Rain-Filled Series at North Carolina
After an exciting shutout victory on Friday night on the road against the Tar Heels, the Hoos looked like they had found a groove. However, the final two games of the series had several costly errors and missed opportunities on offense. Coach Joanna Hardin reflected and said, “I don’t think we played to our best and to our capabilities on all sides of the ball.”
UVA has developed the skills to be in any game, but the next step in these tough conference matchups will be getting the key out or hit and minimizing mistakes.
Game 1: Virginia 3, North Carolina 0
It was the Eden Bigham show once again, as the sophomore threw another complete game shutout like she did last weekend against Boston College. Bigham only gave up three hits and had six strikeouts.
Virginia didn’t give her a lot of run support early on, as UNC’s pitcher only allowed two runners to reach scoring position in the first four innings. In the fifth inning, Leah Boggs hit a one-out double and Jade Hylton moved her to third with an infield single, setting up an RBI sac fly from Bella Cabral.
The 1-0 score continued until the top of the seventh, when Jade Hylton and Bella Cabral secured two key insurance runs with an RBI double and single, giving the defense some breathing room. After a leadoff walk, Eden Bigham retired the next three Tar Heel batters, earning her sixth win of the season.
Leah Boggs went 3 for 3 and scored two of the three Cavalier runs, so she was a key piece at the bottom of the lineup for Virginia.
Game 2: North Carolina 4, Virginia 1
While UVA got an early 1-0 lead in game two, the Hoos only had three hits all game, and had two costly errors that helped UNC take the lead.
Savanah Henley pitched a scoreless first inning before Mikayla Houge replaced her and pitched two scoreless innings to start her outing. Meanwhile, Leah Boggs had her fourth straight hit of the series, stole second base, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly hit by Bella Cabral. Jade Hylton had reached base on an error as well, but she was tagged out at home trying to score on a passed ball that the catcher quickly secured. That ended the inning in the third.
In the fourth inning, UNC got two runners on with an infield single and a Cavalier fielding error. The next batter hit an RBI single to tie the game. After a double play Virginia could have been out of the inning, but the previous error gave UNC another out, which the Tar Heels capitalized on with an RBI double.
Two more infield singles gave North Carolina runners on the corners with one out in the fifth, as the Cavalier defense struggled with the Tar Heel small ball. A two-run double gave UNC a 4-1 lead, and while Madi Harris struck out two batters to end the inning, the damage had been done. Virginia didn’t threaten in the rest of the game, so UNC tied the series.
Game 3: North Carolina 6, Virginia 1
Virginia struggled offensively again in game three, this time only having two hits all game. While UNC just had five hits, two of them were two-run homers, helping the Tar Heels earn a 6-1 victory.
Macee Eaton had a two-out single in the top of the first to score Bella Cabral and set the tone for the game, but Virginia wouldn’t get another hit for the rest of the afternoon. The Hoos had some baserunners as the team worked seven total walks on the day, but the clutch hit never came through.
Eden Bigham didn’t have her best stuff Sunday afternoon, as she walked six batters in 3.2 innings. While she only gave up two hits, one was a two-run homer, and one of her walks ended up being UNC’s third run. After the fourth inning with Julia Cuozzo in the circle, UNC led 4-1. A two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth made the deficit five runs. Virginia worked three walks in the top of the seventh to load the bases and provide hope for a big comeback, but the Hoos didn’t manage to score any runs with the stagnant offense.
The Cavaliers will look to make some improvements Tuesday at Maryland before hosting Syracuse for a three-game series next weekend at Palmer Park.
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