Rain pelted the field to begin Wednesday's doubleheader, but Virginia's bats did the hitting in the end. Virginia swept a two-game set from the Brown Bears Wednesday afternoon at The Park by scores of 7-5 and 9-0.
Behind a backdrop of storm clouds, the Cavaliers jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the first inning of the day's initial contest. Slippery conditions led to five walks, three hits and two Brown errors in the bottom half of the first. Virginia's five-run lead proved to be just enough as they held the Bears scoreless until the top of the seventh when Brown scored three runs in a failed comeback attempt.
After making four errors in game one, Virginia players successfully cleaned up their act in the second contest. Sophomore pitcher Erin Horn led the Cavalier charge with a one-hit shutout through five innings. In addition to baffling Bear hitters, Horn received more than enough run support as Virginia began the onslaught with a four-run third inning. In that inning, freshmen Michelle Salmiery and Elea Crockett and sophomore Sara Larquier laced triples against Brown's helpless starting pitcher Sara Corrigan-Gibbs.
The following inning brought much of the same as Virginia's first four batters sprayed singles all over the diamond. Sophomore centerfielder Jessica Taylor then tallied up three RBIs with a base-clearing triple to left center. She would later score on a groundout by sophomore catcher Jenn Wynn that pushed the Virginia run total up to nine. A one-two-three top of the fifth successfully ended the game due to softball's eight-run, five-inning mercy rule.
Virginia should now feel a "little more confident and relaxed," coach Cheryl Sprangel said.
Confidence could prove to be key as the Cavaliers open ACC play tomorrow afternoon against North Carolina. With a current record of 25-18, Virginia will need strong showings in each of their 10 conference games if they hope to garner an invitation to this year's regional postseason tournament.
Speaking about the team's preparation for ACC games, senior captain Hannah Owings said, "We try not to focus any differently. We try and keep everything the same. In the past, there has been a tendency to really hype it up, and then I don't think we play smoothly. But this year we are going to try and relax and keep it together."
North Carolina will no doubt also be excited for this weekend's contest as it will be their first conference action of the season. The Tar Heels currently hold a record of 30-14 and, along with Virginia and Georgia Tech, were picked to finish tied for second in the ACC Preseason Softball Poll.
"We match up really well against North Carolina," Owings said. "We usually have about equivalent pitching and hitting. It's just going to come down to who can make the little plays and who can come through in the clutch."
This Saturday's doubleheader features afternoon games beginning at 12 and 2 p.m. at The Park. If the Cavaliers hope to achieve their preseason goal of reaching the regional tournament, a conference doubleheader against the rival Tar Heels would be a great opportunity to grab the selection committee's attention.
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