Virginia softball took both games of a doubleheader against George Mason yesterday. The Cavaliers looked strong in the first game, battling back twice to take the game by a final score of 5-3 behind a season-high seven-strikeout performance from senior pitcher Whitney Holstun. In the second game, Virginia played well all-around in a 6-2 victory.
Virginia (9-22, 2-4 ACC) came out swinging in the first game against George Mason (8-18, 1-2 CAA), scoring three runs in the first two innings. The Cavaliers combined a single, a sacrifice bunt and an error to score the run in the first. In the second, Virginia plated two runs on three hits and a stolen base.
But, as in recent games, the Virginia pitching staff was unable to hold the lead. By the fourth inning, the Patriots had come back to tie the game at 3-3.
The Cavaliers were not done, however, and battled back again. Virginia scored two runs in the fifth inning to retake the lead for good.
"Yesterday at practice we went back and broke down the fundamentals and tried to keep it simple," freshman Alison Pittman said, when asked what contributed to Virginia's performance. "Try to make every play game-speed and play confident -- not thinking something could go wrong and letting everything else snowball."
In the second game, Virginia once again came out swinging. The Cavaliers scored first in the second game, on an RBI single from senior Lindsey Preuss.
The strong offense continued into the second inning starting with a bloop single from freshman Courtney Pettit. The Cavaliers followed with two hits and two Mason fielding errors to plate three runs.
In the top of the fifth, the Patriots chased junior pitcher Karla Wilburn after four and two-thirds innings. Wilburn surrendered just two runs and five hits before being relieved by Holstun, who got a strikeout to end the inning.
There was a scary moment in the bottom of the fifth when Pettit suffered an ankle injury sliding into third base. After laying on the ground for a few moments, Pettit left the field under her own power and was replaced with a pinch runner.
Virginia added another two runs in the sixth inning before Holstun closed things out with a 1-2-3 seventh.
"Whitney certainly did well," coach Eileen Schmidt said. "She certainly threw well on the mound. And that helps, especially when she's getting ahead and she's getting strikeouts."
Now the Cavaliers will turn their sights to a return to conference play. Virginia welcomes N.C. State (18-16, 2-4 ACC) this weekend for a three-game set starting Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The series will conclude Sunday at 1 p.m. It will be the first ACC series since Virginia was swept at home by Florida State two weeks ago.
The series against N.C. State will be the last game on a long homestand for Virginia, which has gone 3-10 so far over the stretch.
"I definitely think we're going to come out and try to take advantage of them and take our momentum against George Mason ... into N.C. State," Pittman said.
Perhaps the most concerning statistic for the Cavaliers is the Wolfpack's team ERA of 2.33. Virginia has been unable to perform consistently on offense so far this season and could have trouble with the strong N.C. State pitching staff. Opponents are hitting just .213 against the Wolfpack?.
In addition to a contending with a strong pitching staff, Virginia's offense will not have many second chances. The Wolfpack, as a team, has committed only 32 errors. By comparison, Virginia has committed 56.
Virginia's pitching staff will need to be on its toes, as well. After a weekend that saw the team ERA skyrocket to 6.97, the rotation will have to contend with freshman Alyssa Allbritten and senior Shanna Smith.
Allbritten leads the Wolfpack in batting average at .316 with three home runs and 18 RBIs. Smith has a .311 average with three home runs and 11 RBIs.
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