Gabby Baylog, Virginia Cavaliers softball — Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics Communications

Seventh Inning Comeback Falls Short for UVA Softball in ACC Quarterfinals

The Cavaliers put up three runs in the seventh, but fell to the Seminoles on Thursday night in Pittsburgh

Author:
Kathleen Boyce
Publish date:
May 13, 2022 1:59 AM EDT

After tying the program record for ACC regular season wins with 13, the Virginia softball team (27-24, 13-12 ACC) entered the ACC tournament as the No. 6 seed and faced the No. 3 seed Florida State (50-5, 19-5 ACC), who is also ranked third in the country and is the national runner up from last year. The Cavaliers put a scare into the Seminoles with a three-run seventh inning, but couldn’t complete the comeback and fell 5-3 in the ACC quarterfinals on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

The first inning was quick, as both teams only sent three batters to the plate. The Cavaliers flashed the leather with a double play to end the first when Bailey Winscott made a running catch in center field and then threw to first, catching a runner who had taken too much of a lead.

Molly Grube had a quality start for the Cavaliers, working three scoreless innings against the powerful Seminole bats. She ran into trouble in the fourth inning when Sydney Sherrill doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly, and then Devyn Flaherty doubled and scored on a single from Jahni Kerr. Grube got out of the inning and finished with a stat line of four innings pitched, giving up four hits and two runs.

Florida State starter Kathryn Sandercock proved why she holds a 27-1 record in the circle, retiring 12 of the first 13 batters she faced. Tori Gilbert managed to lead off the fifth inning with a double, but the Seminole defense was able to strand the runner.

In the bottom of the fifth, Amaya Ross pinch ran after Chloe Culp singled and advanced around the bases to score on a groundout, extending the FSU lead to 3-0. However, the highlight of the inning was a full extension diving catch in foul territory by Kailyn Jones. It was her second impressive catch of the game, after she had a running catch at the wall to end the third inning.

Leah Boggs was the lone baserunner in the sixth, as Sandercock finished the sixth inning at just 66 pitches.

The Florida State bats erupted in the sixth inning as Kalei Harding and Devyn Flaherty both hit solo home runs to take 5-0 lead. Those two insurance runs would prove to be crucial.

Mack Leonard replaced Kathryn Sandercock in the circle in the seventh inning, and the Cavaliers pounced on the new pitcher. Sarah Coon led things off with a single up the middle, and then Tori Gilbert doubled into left center field to have runners on second and third with no outs.

Kailyn Jones reached on an infield single, which produced the first run scored in the ACC tournament under Coach Joanna Hardin (the Cavaliers had been shut out in the previous three games). In response to the three straight hits, Kathryn Sandercock had to return to the mound to close things out.

After recording one out, the Seminoles allowed the second infield single of the inning, which helped the second run cross the plate for Virginia.

Leadoff hitter and sparkplug Leah Boggs came up with a two-out RBI double to make it 5-3, but Sandercock was able to get the final out, stranding runners on second and third.

The five hits in the inning for the Cavaliers came just a little too late to complete the comeback, but it was a valiant effort. Florida State has the top fielding percentage in the country, and the Cavaliers forced a number of missed plays, although none were recorded as errors.

The Cavaliers will now have to wait and see if they qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Virginia will learn its fate on Selection Sunday this weekend and is currently No. 57 when it comes to RPI rankings. The top five regular season finishers in the ACC are ranked in the top 25 nationally and are locks to make the tournament. Georgia Tech and Louisville finished below Virginia in ACC standings, but have higher RPI rankings than Virginia.

UVA is seeking its second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2010.

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