Following an upset series victory on the road against No. 3 Duke, Virginia couldn’t muster the offense to overcome Virginia Tech Tuesday night in the second iteration of the two teams’ midweek matchups. The No. 15 Hokies (36-9-1, 17-4 ACC) dominated the Cavaliers (30-16, 13-8 ACC) in all aspects, rolling to a 6-1 win in Blacksburg.
A set of circumstances nearly identical to last week’s Commonwealth Clash in Charlottesville plagued Virginia Tuesday, as Virginia Tech once again sent junior pitcher Emma Lemley to the circle — Lemley dominated the Cavaliers in their previous matchup, allowing no runs on just two hits. Virginia sent out their ace, sophomore pitcher Eden Bigham, in a bid to force a pitcher’s duel and scrape out a low-scoring victory.
After a scoreless first inning, the Hokies’ offense broke through. Bigham worked her way into a jam with two baserunners on with two outs and could not escape — the sophomore allowed two singles and a double that scored four runs, two each courtesy of freshman infielder Annika Rohs and senior outfielder Addy Greene. After just 1.2 innings of work, Coach Joanna Hardin was forced to pull her ace early and look to the bullpen, giving the nod to sophomore pitcher Courtney Layne who promptly ended the inning with no further damage.
The Cavaliers seemed to find some life in the top of the third inning as freshman infielder Bella Cabral blasted a solo home run — her sixth of the season — to cut Virginia Tech’s lead to three runs. Unfortunately for Virginia, the Hokies immediately responded as junior utility player Cori McMillan matched Cabral’s shot with one of her own on the first pitch of the inning, moving Virginia Tech’s lead back to four. Another solo home run from sophomore outfielder Trinity Martin in the fourth inning padded the Hokies’ sizable lead.
Layne relinquished the circle to senior pitcher Madison Harris after recording an out and allowing a single to open the fifth inning, and Harris shut down Virginia Tech for the rest of the evening. However, the damage had been done, as Lemley cruised through 7.0 innings of one-run ball, allowing just four hits and one walk while notching eight strikeouts to improve her record to 11-4. Bigham was saddled with the loss, bringing her record to 13-7.
Although they lost Tuesday evening’s version of the Commonwealth Clash, the Cavaliers have already clinched the season-long competition, holding 12 total points. The Hokies earned 0.5 points with Tuesday’s victory to bring their total to 7 points.
As Virginia moves through the final week of the regular season, it is certainly critical that its pitching staff maintains the same dominance they’ve shown throughout the season. In games where the Cavaliers’ pitching staff struggles to hold opposing offenses in check, their embattled lineup often has little or no hope of matching the production of the opposition. Still, considering the success Virginia found on the road against No. 3 Duke, the top team in the ACC, it’s hard not to be optimistic about the Cavaliers’ odds as they enter the postseason.
Hardin is certainly looking towards the future, as she emphasized areas where Virginia performed well despite taking the loss and anticipated a crucial weekend series against Georgia Tech.
“They’re a tough offense and we kept them at bay with some great plays on defense,” Hardin said. “Bella Cabral had the home run and we had some hard-hit balls on the screws that they made plays on. We’ll rest up and go into an important weekend for us at Georgia Tech.”
Virginia’s series with Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga. will wrap up regular season play as the Cavaliers look to lock up fifth place in the ACC and potentially compete for a top-four spot. They will need to win two of three against the Yellow Jackets to guarantee themselves fifth, but they’ll also have their eyes on Clemson, who enters a three-game series against Louisville starting on Friday — a few losses for the Tigers could give Virginia a chance at the fourth seed in the ACC. The Cavaliers will begin play against Georgia Tech at 6 p.m. Friday with coverage available on ACCNX.
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