A huge surprise on this year's softball team has been freshman second baseman Elea Crockett, the team leader in batting. The Arizona native led Virginia in an offensive explosion yesterday with 4 RBIs in an 11-4 romp over James Madison.
While Virginia went down, 3-1, at the top of the second inning, they responded an inning later with a four run third. The rally in the third started with a short single to center by sophomore centerfielder Jessica Taylor, followed by senior Heather Field's walk. Then Crockett stepped into the box and lined one into the gap in right centerfield for a two-run, stand-up triple.
Two batters later, sophomore Sara Larquier, an All-ACC selection last year, hit a ball that curled down the rightfield line and bounced into the corner for another triple that scored Crockett. Freshman catcher Michelle Salmiery then brought in Larquier with a stand-up double to centerfield, as the Cavaliers took the lead for good.
The offensive output for the Cavaliers didn't stop there. The team followed the third with a two run fourth and registered four insurance runs in the sixth inning.
"Our team is very contagious in terms of hitting, and whenever one person starts hitting we're going to send people around," senior captain and first baseman Hannah Owings said.
Owings went 1-4 with a run scored and an RBI, adding to the double and run scored she had in the first game of the doubleheader. The Cavaliers won the first game, 9-1, highlighted by a six run burst in the sixth inning.
The Cavaliers had 12 hits as a team in the second game, four of which were extra base pops. While the run support was instrumental in the victory, the Cavaliers' pitching staff also played a role, as freshman Coty Taylor limited the Dukes to just six hits in 4.1 innings of work. Senior Joanna Barstad closed the game out with 2.2 shutout innings.
"We've found that we sometimes need both of them and they're a little different types of pitchers," coach Cheryl Sprangel said. "If a team starts figuring out the timing of one, then the other one comes in and that's been the best combination for us."
Despite the big numbers by the Cavaliers, James Madison played well at times during the game. They put together a three run second inning that involved three doubles by freshman Katie George, junior Katie Jaworski and sophomore Megan Smith.
The Dukes' defense also had its bright spots, particularly in the fifth inning. During that inning, freshman centerfielder Andrea Long almost retired the side single-handedly when she made two consecutive tough, running catches on a liner and a deep fly to her right side.
Between the two games, the Cavaliers posted 26 hits and 20 runs, winning convincingly in each game. The team is now on a five-game winning streak, and may be turning a corner at just the right time, with the ACC tournament just a few short weeks away.
"We are finally starting to reach where we should have been playing a while ago, and we're getting there," Owings said.
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