The Virginia softball team played its final home series of the season this past weekend against Georgia Tech. The Cavaliers failed to find an answer for the ACC’s leading offense, however, and the Yellow Jackets swept the series.
With the losses, Virginia continued its late-season slide. The Cavaliers have won only two conference games this season. After a promising start, the team has regressed, struggling in losses similar to the ones Virginia suffered last year.
“We haven’t really been hitting on any cylinders the past couple of weeks,” Virginia coach Eileen Schmidt said, “especially in the circle. We were using this weekend to do some things better.”
The Cavaliers struggled offensively in Saturday’s doubleheader, whereas the Yellow Jackets’ potent offense dominated both games. During the first game, Georgia Tech started quickly, hitting 12 runs in the first three innings. Virginia’s lone run of the game came in the third, when freshman outfielder Giannina Cipolloni hit a triple to bat in senior shortstop Carly Winger, who hit an infield single in the previous at-bat. Georgia Tech added two more runs in the fifth to close out the game, 14-1. Senior pitcher Karla Wilburn suffered the loss after giving up seven runs off six hits in two innings.
Georgia Tech’s bats were on fire again in the second game of the doubleheader, as a seven-run first inning led to a 13-4 Yellow Jacket victory. Virginia continued to struggle at the plate, picking up just three hits, two by Winger. Junior pitcher Nicole Koren only lasted through the first inning, giving up seven runs off six hits in the loss.
Though Sunday saw another Cavalier loss, Virginia played much more respectably than during the two Saturday games. Virginia scored first Sunday when senior outfielder Sarah Tacke hit a home run in Virginia’s first at-bat of the second inning. After loading the bases in the third, Virginia picked up two more runs to increase its lead to 3-0.
Georgia Tech’s offense finally made it onto the scoreboard with a solo home run in the fifth. A pair of Virginia errors in the sixth also gave the Yellow Jackets momentum and helped them take a 5-3 lead.
All four of Virginia’s pitchers saw action in the deciding sixth inning of Sunday’s game. Wilburn, the starter, came into the inning having only given up one run, the homer in the fifth. She was taken out of the game after Georgia Tech batted in two runs to tie the score, though, and Koren came on in relief. She only picked up one out, however, before sophomore Allee Rife replaced her. Rife gave up what would be the game-winning run off a double by freshman third baseman Danielle Dike. Freshman Stephanie Coates then finished the inning, holding the Yellow Jackets to a hit and a walk while picking up the final two outs in the sixth.
“We did a good job up until [the sixth inning],” Tacke said. “I think we worked really hard this weekend, and things are looking good.”
For the Cavaliers’ seniors, Sunday’s defeat marked their final home game of their Virginia careers. Though they were not able to walk away from their final series at The Park with a win, many nevertheless maintained a positive outlook after the disappointing weekend.
“This was our last chance to play on our home field,” Wilburn said. “I think it definitely touched our hearts a little bit. We have been here a long time, and it was great to be a part of this program.”
Virginia wraps up its regular season next weekend at Florida State before heading to the ACC tournament, set to begin the weekend of May 8.
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