Virginia Tech may have lost its best pitcher from last season, but that did not seem to matter against the Cavaliers. The Virginia women’s softball team, hoping to rebound from last weekend’s losses to N.C. State, lost two of three games against the Hokies at The Park this weekend.
The series started off well for the Cavaliers, as Virginia (19-9, 2-4 ACC) posted a 5-2 win in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. It was Virginia’s first win against Virginia Tech (12-17, 3-3 ACC) since the 2006 season. Going into the weekend, Virginia had lost six straight games against Tech; for this reason, it was difficult to articulate just how satisfying it was to break the streak, junior third basemen Abby Snyder said.
“It was good to get a win,” Snyder said.
Virginia struck first in the early Saturday game, with Snyder batting in two runs to put the Cavaliers up 2-0. The Hokies evened the game after scoring runs in the third and fifth innings. In the sixth inning, with one out, senior outfielder Sarah Tacke and freshman shortstop Clara Kendall both had singles, bringing Snyder back to the plate. Virginia then took an insurmountable lead, as Snyder smacked a three-run shot to deep center field to make the score 5-2.
Senior Pitcher Karla Wilburn, pitching a complete game with three strikeouts, earned the win for Virginia.
Things did not go as well for Virginia in the second game, however, as the Cavaliers’ only runs came exclusively in the first inning of a 10-2 loss. The two runs cut the Hokies’ lead to one, but the Cavaliers had no answer for Tech’s offense, which scored four times in the third inning and three more runs in the fifth. In her second appearance of the afternoon, Wilburn pitched 2 1/3 innings of the defeat.
Virginia hoped to turn things around in Sunday’s deciding game. Virginia Tech got on the board first, though, with a home run in the first from senior third baseman Charisse Mariconda. The Hokies then scored another run in the second off an RBI double by junior catcher Amber Walker.
In the bottom half of the second, Virginia had runners on the corners with two outs, and a wild pitch allowed Kendall to score. Virginia then cut the Hokies’ lead to one when sophomore outfielder Alison Pittman dribbled a slow roller to second, allowing junior outfielder Nicole Koren to score.
Virginia Tech scored two more times in the sixth to put the Hokies ahead 5-2. Virginia tried to mount a comeback in the final two innings but was not successful. Wilburn pitched the complete game, striking out two and giving up three earned runs in the losing effort.
“I think that just for a few innings we did not come out and play our game,” Snyder said. “We came back and got players on base, but we need to have that the entire time.”
After taking yesterday off, the Cavaliers now travel to Fairfax, Va. to take on George Mason and will host Liberty Wednesday. Both teams have been up and down this season but are capable of staying in games and putting up tough fights.
George Mason has a handful of players that power its offense, which averages almost four runs per game. Liberty, meanwhile, relies primarily on its pitching and defense. Liberty’s pitchers average less than three earned runs per game and strike out five per game, helping make up for a less proficient offense.
For the Cavaliers, pitching has been decent, but the team has relied primarily on Wilburn for its strongest performances. She has appeared in the most games this season and pitched in all three this past weekend. Coach Eileen Schmidt said Wilburn is the most successful pitcher on the staff right now, and that is why she has seen so much playing time.
“[Wilburn] has been the most consistent,” Schmidt said, adding that “she is our pitching leader and really what we need is consistency on the mound. But that tires her out, and you hope that someone on the staff is able to step up and spell her for a little bit.”
Against George Mason and Liberty, the Cavaliers hope Wilburn and the rest of the pitching staff will help continue Virginia’s impressive 17-5 record against non-conference opponents this season.
Notes: Before Sunday’s game, Virginia held a rededication ceremony in honor of the recent stadium renovations in the offseason. Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage threw out the first pitch, and several alumnae were on hand to mark this special occasion ... Virginia left nine runners on base Sunday, the most so far this season in any one game.
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