Cavaliers Now

Virginia Softball Upsets No. 11 Clemson Twice for Historic Series Win

Matt Newton

The Virginia softball team celebrates after defeating No. 11 Clemson at Palmer Park.
The Virginia softball team celebrates after defeating No. 11 Clemson at Palmer Park. / Virginia Athletics

Clemson has been a dominant softball team in recent years, boasting National Player of the Year Valerie Cagle, a 21-7 record, and a number 11 ranking in the country. However, the Cavaliers weren’t phased, and managed to not only take the series opener for their first-ever win over the Tigers, but defeated Clemson a second time to secure a monumental series win. 

Friday 3/22 - Virginia 6, Clemson 4

Clemson jumped out to an early lead with two two-run homers off of Julia Cuozzo, as the Tigers had all the momentum early on. Trailing 4-0 to the 11th ranked team in the country is a tall task to overcome, but the Cavaliers were up for it.

In the bottom of the third, a walk and a single gave UVA runners on first and second with one out. Bella Cabral singled and Leah Boggs scored on an error to get UVA on the board, and then Abby Weaver drove in a second run to make the score 4-2.

Virginia’s big inning came in the fourth. Two singles and an error gave Virginia its third run and base runners on first and second. After Jade Hylton walked on four pitches, Bella Cabral had a clutch bases loaded double to give Virginia a 6-4 lead. All six runs came off of star pitcher Valerie Cagle, the 2023 National Player of the Year.

Madi Harris pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless softball in the middle of the game, only giving up two hits to bridge the gap between Cuozzo and Eden Bigham, who came in for the seventh inning. Madi Harris got the well-earned win after that performance, as she retired 13 of the 16 batters she faced.

Clemson had runners on first and second with one out in the sixth, but Bigham got a popout and a strikeout to end the threat. Eden Bigham earned the save as she struck out Valerie Cagle to give Virginia a statement win to open the series. 

After game one, Madi Harris talked about how fired up her team was. She shared that “inside the meeting room was probably the loudest it’s been in a hot minute.” 

Saturday 3/23 - Clemson 5, Virginia 1

Clemson got revenge for the Friday night upset on Saturday afternoon, holding the Cavaliers to four hits and one run. Virginia got on the board first with three straight singles from Abby Weaver, Macee Eaton, and Sarah Coon, but then Clemson’s pitcher Regan Spencer held the Hoos to only one more hit. 

Eden Bigham’s first two innings went smoothly, but she ran into trouble when the Clemson lineup came around to face her for the second time. In the top of the third, an RBI double and an RBI single gave Clemson a 2-1 lead. The following inning had a double, an RBI single, and an RBI triple that gave Clemson three more runs and a 5-1 lead, a much bigger deficit to overcome against a great pitching staff. After retiring the Cavaliers in the final innings, Clemson tied the series and set up a Sunday rubber match.

Sunday 3/24 - Virginia 3, Clemson 0

For the first time this season, Clemson was held scoreless. For the first time in program history, Virginia defeated Clemson in a series. The home crowd cheered the Hoos to a historic series win, and what will hopefully be a turning point in conference play for Virginia. 

Courtney Layne and Madi Harris teamed up to stymie the Clemson offense. Layne started the game and pitched two innings, and then Madi Harris gave up just three hits across five innings to secure her sixth win of the season. 

On offense, Kelsey Hackett used her speed to score Virginia’s first run. After stealing second base, she was able to score from second on an infield single by Kelly Ayer as she never slowed down and beat the throw home. 

Clemson had two baserunners in the third and fourth innings, but couldn’t tie the game up. In the bottom of the fifth, Kelly Ayer singled and then Jade Hylton blasted a two-run homer to right center field, giving the Cavaliers a 3-0 lead.

From there, Madi Harris retired the Tigers in order, giving Virginia the upset win and putting the ACC on notice about what Virginia can do. Harris was the MVP in the circle as she pitched 9.1 innings without giving up a run, and she earned two wins as well.

Coach Hardin praised “the grit and the fight” of her team in the series, and she said what others might have been thinking: “I don’t think anyone expected us to win a game, much less a series, except ourselves.” These two wins are statements that this Virginia team can play with anyone.

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Matt Newton

MATT NEWTON

Managing Editor and Publisher, CavaliersNow Email: mattnewton@virginia.eduTwitter: @mattynewtssWebsite | LinkedIn | Instagram Matt Newton is the managing editor and publisher at CavaliersNow. He has been covering UVA athletics since 2019 and has been the managing editor at CavaliersNow since launching the site in August 2021. Matt covers all things UVA sports, including Virginia basketball and football news and recruiting, former Wahoos in the pros, and coverage of all 23 of the NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. A native of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Matt grew up a huge Philadelphia sports fan, but has also been a UVA sports fanatic his entire life thanks to his parents, who are alums of the University of Virginia. Matt followed in his parents' footsteps and attended UVA from 2017-2021, graduating with a degree in Media Studies and a minor in Economics in May of 2021.