After an impressive series win against Duke last weekend that secured Virginia’s spot in the ACC Championship — followed by a crushing loss Tuesday versus Virginia Tech — the Cavaliers (32-17, 15-9 ACC) faced off against Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga. for their final conference series of the year. While the Yellow Jackets (31-22, 12-12 ACC) bested Virginia in the first game, the Cavaliers came back strong to win the two following matches and the series.
Game 1 — Virginia 5, Georgia Tech 6
The first game of the series was highlighted by the Cavaliers’ four home runs, which were not enough to get past the Yellow Jackets’ early lead. Georgia Tech took full advantage of the first inning, where they profited off of a fielding error that placed runners on first and third base after the team’s second at-bat. A fielder’s choice by graduate infielder Tiffany Domingue sent senior catcher Sara Beth Allen over home plate to begin the game’s action.
Domingue herself was able to score before the first inning ended, leaving Virginia to play catch-up. Freshman infielder Macee Eaton took initiative in clawing back in the second inning, hitting a home run to halve the deficit. The next two innings saw a dry spell until Virginia’s junior infielder Shelby Barbee decided to reignite the scoring with another home run, tying up the game 2-2 in the top of the fifth inning.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, the Yellow Jackets also stepped up their game in the fifth inning, scoring three quick runs before senior relief pitcher Madison Harris was able to get the last out at the plate, leaving the scoreboard to read 5-2 in favor of the hosts.
The Cavaliers continued their day’s habit of leadoff home runs into the sixth inning, when sophomore infielder Jade Hylton fired a shot to right center. Now having hit home runs in three consecutive ACC games, this marked Hylton’s 12th home run of the season. Later in the inning, with Eaton sitting on second base, Barbee tied up the game with her second home run of the day.
Entering the seventh inning 5-5, Virginia was not able to gain any ground from junior pitcher Kinsey Norton. Georgia Tech used the Cavaliers’ vulnerability to lock in the win as junior utility player Madison Dobbins scored on sophomore infielder Jayden Gailey’s double, winning the game 6-5 for the Yellow Jackets.
Game 2 — Virginia 16, Georgia Tech 1
Virginia walked onto the field Saturday with fire in its veins, scoring 16 runs in the five-inning game to mark the first time in history the team has seen 14 ACC wins in a season. With strong offense came tight pitching from senior pitcher Mikayla Houge, who threw four strikeouts over her complete game and only allowed one run on two hits.
After their disappointing loss the day before, the Cavaliers made the most of an early fielding error in the first inning — senior utility player Abby Weaver ran home from first base to score, unearned.
Virginia held their lead until the bottom of the third inning, where Georgia Tech tied the game with a home run from senior infielder Jin Sileo. Not willing to fall behind again, the Cavaliers walked into the dugout for the fourth inning preparing to set a record on offense.
The Yellow Jackets simply could not keep up with Virginia’s hits in the field. Starting with junior catcher Sarah Coon’s RBI to send Weaver across home plate, the Cavaliers stayed hot with the bat as they used eight hits to pour out 11 runs over the inning. Being the first time Virginia had scored at least ten runs in a single inning, Houge complemented the team’s strong offense by quickly putting the bottom of the inning to rest — Virginia led 12-1 after four innings.
The Cavaliers didn’t stop there, as the fifth and final inning saw two more RBIs — one from Weaver and the other from freshman infielder Bella Cabral — to send four more players across home plate for a final score of 16-1 before the game ended via mercy rule. Coach Joanna Hardin was pleased with her team’s resilience after Friday's game.
“We just passed the bat today and didn’t try to do too much”, Hardin said. “That is when we are at our best. It was great to close the day strong and we know we have to fight it out tomorrow to finish the weekend strong.”
Game 3 — Virginia 4, Georgia Tech 3
Virginia took an early lead in Sunday's tiebreaker as Cabral scored early in the first inning on a wild pitch. Georgia Tech’s Norton walked three Cavalier players, however Virginia let go of additional opportunities to score as the inning ended with three players still left on base.
The Yellow Jackets began to make their move in the bottom of the third inning, scoring two runs to take the lead. Virginia was unable to gain any ground in the fourth and fifth innings until another wild pitch put Weaver on third base, a prime position to take advantage of Barbee’s sacrifice fly. This play allowed junior outfielder Kailyn Jones to advance to third, and she would later score after senior catcher Leah Boggs singled. With sophomore pitcher Eden Bigham able to keep Georgia Tech at bay in the bottom of the inning, the sixth closed out 3-2.
Virginia was able to squeeze another run in during the top of the seventh inning, as Hylton scored on Barbee’s single. While it was not clear at the moment, the Cavaliers needed that run to close out their series victory.
With the scoreboard reading 4-2, the Yellow Jackets entered the dugout for the last time that day. A fielding error from Virginia allowed senior infielder Mallorie Black to advance to second base, which allowed her to score on a single from Domingue. With two outs and the winning run at first base, Bigham forced senior infielder Abby Hughes to pop out, sealing a crucial 4-3 win for the Cavaliers that clinched the series.
This final regular season win marks Virginia’s seventh of eight ACC series victories this season, a sign that the program is on the rise. The team’s overall 65.3 percent win record this year is the highest it’s been since the 2003-04 season, and there is still time for it to continue to rise from there. As they approach the ACC Championships, the Cavaliers will need to aim for consistent at-bats to support the strong pitching shown all season.
Having clinched a spot in the ACC Championship, Virginia will return to Durham, N.C. for the quarterfinals. The Cavaliers will begin play May 9, with their seeding and opponent still to be determined.
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