The Cavalier softball team split a doubleheader with Liberty in Lynchburg Wednesday, winning the first game 7-6before coming up short in the second game 9-6.
Virginia (13-28, 4-8 ACC) held off a late rally by Liberty (8-25-1, 2-1 Big South) to take the win in the first game. After Virginia went up 7-3 in the top of the seventh, Liberty rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh before a ground-out gave the Cavaliers the victory.
The second game started off with similar call-and-answer inning scores; the Cavaliers came out swinging, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning and two more in the second.
Liberty came back and tied things up with two in the third and four in the fourth off senior Whitney Holstun. Liberty took the lead with three runs in the sixth including a two-run home run from freshman Amber DePasquale.
Virginia now is gearing up for its final home series of the season against first-place North Carolina (37-8-1, 10-1 ACC). UNC is ranked No. 16 nationally and has not lost a series all year.
Since losing three of five games during the Leadoff Classic Tournament during the last week of February, the Tar Heels have lost only one game, have one tie since March 5 and have won three straight games.
"They're a really good team," freshman Allee Rife said. "They're number one right now. Obviously it's going to be a really good game."
The Tar Heels have not only been good so far this season, they have been dominant. The team has scored 257 runs while the pitching staff has allowed only 60. By contrast, Virginia has scored 136 runs this season.
North Carolina also has seven players hitting above .300 and another batting above .290. Nine players have hit two or more home runs and have double-digit RBI figures.
The offensive leader is senior Jennifer Jacobs, who is hitting .327 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs. She also leads the team with a .614 slugging percentage and a .441 on-base percentage. She has struck out only 11 times, the fewest number of times of any UNC player with at least 40 starts.
"It's just that you're facing off against someone who's so good," Virginia coach Eileen Schmidt said. "We need to get hot with the bats again. That would help."
This could be difficult because, as impressive as the Carolina offense has been this season, perhaps of even more concern for the Cavaliers is the UNC pitching staff. The team ERA sits at 1.17, and two pitchers are averaging more than a strikeout per inning.
"We need to play a solid game all the way around," Schmidt said. "Continue what we're doing defensively, get timely hitting when we get people on and then get clutch pitching."
Once the Cavaliers complete the three-game series this weekend, they will hit the road for the next two weeks, with ACC stops at Maryland and Boston College.
"It's a very important part of our conference right now," Rife said. "It's the ending, the final three, and this will tell us where we stand at the end."
The games against North Carolina are set to begin with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday with the final game set for 1 p.m. Sunday.
Before the first game Saturday, the Cavaliers will have senior ceremonies for four graduating players. Senior captains Meghan O'Leary and Holstun will be honored as will fellow seniors Lindsey Preuss and Kierstie Cameron. Cameron, a junior eligibility-wise, is an academic senior and does not plan to return.
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