After a thrilling walk-off win against No. 4 UCLA, Virginia softball headed back to Charlottesville for the Mizuno Classic at Palmer Park. The Cavaliers (10-5, 0-0 ACC) opened up the tournament Saturday morning versus Penn, culminating in a comeback 5-1 victory — one of five wins on the weekend. Virginia also took on Delaware and Longwood twice each, prevailing in all four games.
It was a defensive showdown the first couple of innings between the Cavaliers and the Quakers (1-5, 0-0 Ivy League). Virginia’s sophomore pitcher Julia Cuozzo took the circle for her first start and appearance after a season-ending injury last year. However, Penn broke through first, scoring one run in the top of the third inning on a sacrifice fly. Virginia made solid contact but did not answer until the bottom of the fifth, when senior outfielder Kailyn Jones drove in senior infielder Reece Holbrook with a triple.
The parade of triples continued with the next batter, junior infielder Jade Hylton, who knocked one to the wall, giving Virginia its first lead of the game at 2-1. Sophomore infielder Bella Cabral added insurance in the bottom of the sixth as she slammed a no-doubt home run over the fence, her second of the season. Senior catcher Sydney Hartgrove kept up the pressure with a single, scoring the speedy sophomore pinch runner Kamyria Woody-Giggetts. Holbrook then doubled, bringing junior pinch runner Kelsey Hackett home and extending the Virginia lead to 5-1.
Junior pitcher Eden Bigham held down the fort and secured her first win this season for the Cavaliers, going four innings in the circle with five strikeouts, three hits and no runs. It was a good way to start the tournament for Virginia, adding to their win streak and momentum.
Game two was a matchup between Virginia and Delaware Saturday. The Blue Hens (4-6, 0-0 CAA) started off hot in the top of the first inning with a two-out solo home run by junior catcher Sydney Shaffer. Delaware continued to hit well against junior pitcher Courtney Layne, forcing Coach Joanna Hardin to bring in fifth-year pitcher Savannah Henley to put out the fire. Despite the pitching change, Delaware struck again in the bottom of third with a deep single, scoring a run.
Losing 2-1, Virginia continued to leave runners stranded on the bases throughout the next two innings. Positively, though, Henley was able to keep the Blue Hens’ offense at bay, settling in on the mound.
The bottom of the fifth inning finally saw the Cavaliers come to life on offense. Jones and Hylton both singled, setting up a perfect scoring opportunity for sophomore first baseman Macee Eaton, who slapped a timely double to score both runs. Senior catcher Sarah Coon opened the bottom of the sixth with a double and was replaced on second base by Woody-Giggetts, who advanced via a fielder’s choice. Thanks to an accidental bunt, Jones scored Woody-Giggetts and advanced Holbrook to third to put Virginia on top 3-2.
Senior outfielder Kelly Ayer provided insurance for the Cavaliers with a two-out, two-RBI single. Bigham came in to finish the game, facing just five Blue Hens and slamming the door on a 5-2 Virginia win.
When asked about both being comeback wins Saturday, Hardin was extremely proud but focused on improving the Cavaliers’ approach for the final three games.
“Anytime you can come from behind, it’s important … to learn how to do that,” Hardin said. “I think what I’d like to see going forward is a little more intent early on in the game … we’re going to see both of them again tomorrow, so everyone is going to make counter moves and adjustments to be able to take it to them early.”
Virginia did exactly that in their third game came Sunday afternoon against Penn. The Quakers started the game with the bases loaded, but freshman pitcher Ava Hodges was able to escape the jam thanks to an electric double play. Keeping the momentum, Hylton hit a shot that bounced off the wall, rolling away from the Penn outfielders and giving the shortstop just enough time to speed around the base paths for an inside-the-park home run.
Virginia didn’t strike again until the bottom of the fifth, when Jones added another triple and Hylton drove her in with a sacrifice fly, making it 2-0. The bottom of the sixth featured a similar sequence, as Cabral recorded her second double of the day and her pinch runner, Woody-Giggetts, made her way around the bases en route to a 3-0 win for Virginia.
The Cavaliers’ second game of the day against Delaware started similarly to their first, as they jumped Blue Hens in the bottom of the first with a couple of hits to give them a 1-0 lead. The lead was immediately extended by junior utility player M.C. Eaton, who blasted a three-run homer over the wall, stretching the lead to 4-0 after just one inning.
Delaware would not go down easily. The next inning, the Blue Hens began to work walks and record timely hits, making it 4-1. Despite the threat of a comeback with the bases loaded and no outs, Bigham was able to settle in and get Virginia out of the inning. Cabral responded in the bottom of the third, going yard with a solo home run.
With the game quickly getting out of hand, Delaware made a final stand. In the top of the fourth, one of the Blue Hens went deep to right field, cutting the lead to three runs. The Cavaliers remained unfazed, scoring again in the bottom of the fifth after another Hylton triple and an Ayer sacrifice bunt to make it 6-2. But this was just the beginning of a one-out rally for Virginia — three more runs came across in the inning. The knockout blow came from a walk-off two-run homer from Bella Cabral, enforcing the mercy rule and putting an 11-2 Virginia win in the books.
Cavalier fans filed in Monday afternoon to watch Virginia tee off against Longwood. The Lancers (4-7, 0-0 BSC) came into Palmer Park hoping to break the Cavaliers’ win streak. From the first inning, though, the Cavaliers made it clear that the game would be dictated by their offensive prowess.
Virginia smashed home runs early and often, as M.C. Eaton shot one to deep left in the bottom of the first, followed by a pair of homeruns for Hylton in the second and third innings and Hackett’s first career home run in the bottom of the fourth. Pitcher Julia Cuozzo picked up her first win of the season, going four innings with four strikeouts, three hits and no runs as the Cavaliers cruised to a 10-0 mercy-rule win.
Hylton and Cabral both had notable performances throughout the tournament, both recording multiple-hit games and several home runs. When asked about her breakout weekend, Cabral remained humble and emphasized the team’s fight.
“We’ve talked a lot about selfless team winning,” Cabral said. “Honestly, we haven’t had the best games, haven’t been playing to our full potential, haven’t been staying within us — today we really pulled it together.”
After a suboptimal start to the season, Virginia has picked up a slew of necessary wins to get them going. The Cavaliers return to action this weekend as they host the Party At Palmer Invitational beginning Friday at 1:30 p.m. against Cornell. They will look to carry their momentum from the Mizuno Classic and extend their win streak ahead of ACC play.
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