After a successful Party at Palmer, No. 23 Virginia began ACC play with the Commonwealth Clash against rival No. 18 Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers (17-7, 1-2 ACC) headed to Blacksburg with the hopes of extending their winning streak but were met with two straight losses. A strong victory Sunday afternoon capped off the series positively, though, and gave Virginia momentum as the Cavaliers began the gauntlet of ACC play.
The first game started out promising for Virginia, as the top of the order manufactured two runs in the top of the first inning. The Cavaliers added to their lead in the second inning after a hard-hit line drive by senior infielder Jade Hylton caused an error, scoring senior catcher Sydney Hartgrove and making the score 3-0 Virginia.
The Hokies (19-5, 2-1 ACC) quickly responded in the bottom of the third with multiple singles to cut the lead to 3-2. The game was tied after the Cavaliers conceded a run on a fielder’s choice, and a controversial review call at home gave Virginia Tech a 4-3 lead. However, Virginia still had some fight left, tying it in the top of the fourth on a two-out single down the left field line by sophomore infielder Bella Cabral.
But Virginia Tech steamed ahead, scoring three runs off of freshman pitcher Ava Hodges, who took the loss in relief, and another off of fifth-year pitcher Savannah Henley. Despite recording 12 hits compared to the Hokies’ nine, the 8-4 loss ended Virginia’s 12 game win streak and deflated its offense. Coach Joanna Hardin acknowledged the difficulty of the series and the need for preparation ahead of the next two games.
“This is a competitive series — not only is it the Commonwealth Clash and an in-state rivalry, but it’s two really good teams going at it,” Hardin said. “This was an intense game one. We’re gonna go back to the tape, get to work and get ready to go in game two.”
In game two Saturday, however, Virginia got to work far too late. The Cavaliers left 13 runners stranded on the basepath, leaving bases loaded on three separate occasions. Where Virginia failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities, Virginia Tech feasted. The Hokies got it going right away in the bottom of the second with back-to-back homeruns, forcing the Cavaliers to pull sophomore pitcher Julia Cuozzo early in favor of junior pitcher Courtney Layne.
Layne was able to hold the Hokies off the scoreboard for the rest of the inning, but the Virginia Tech offense came back to life in the third inning as their sophomore catcher Zoe Yaeger sent another pitch out of the park to make the score 5-0 Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers turned to Hodges in the circle for the fourth inning to minimize the damage, but she too gave up a home run, giving the Hokies their sixth and final run of the day.
Virginia tried to find its footing in the top of the sixth inning. Hylton beat out a fielder’s choice on a ball to the shortstop, allowing Hartgrove to score and cut the deficit to five runs, but that was all they could do as the Hokies dominated on offense and defense.
“Going into tomorrow, it’s ride or die, and we have to scratch and claw for every opportunity,” Hardin said. “We have to attack tomorrow and be prepared to finish.”
Having already lost the series, the only goal for Sunday’s game was to prevent the sweep — and Virginia did just that. The Cavaliers struck first thanks to senior utility player Sarah Coon, who launched a solo shot out of the park to give Virginia its first lead since game one. The lead was short-lived as Virginia Tech tied the game in the bottom of the third with a Yeager RBI double. The Hokies struck again in short order with a line drive single to center, taking a 2-1 lead
But Virginia showed fight, holding Virginia Tech in check and recording a solid defensive performance. On the first pitch in the top of the fifth, Hartgrove tied the game with a homerun dead center field, making it a game. Once again, the Hokies fought back, loading the bases. With two outs and bases loaded, junior pitcher Eden Bigham had a lot of pressure to find the last out — and it came from an unusual place. The Cavalier coaching staff caught a substitution error by Virginia Tech, resulting in the final out of the inning and getting the defense out of the jam.
Riding newfound momentum, Virginia came out swinging in the top of the sixth, as sophomore infielder Macee Eaton smashed her first home run of the series and put the Cavaliers back on top. Hartgrove provided insurance with her second home run of the day, a two-run shot to put Virginia’s lead at 5-2. The Cavaliers kept it going in the top of the seventh, adding four more runs on four hits. Virginia Tech threatened in the bottom of the seventh, but Virginia was able to secure a much needed 9-2 win to end the series with a win.
The series ended on a high note, but it also left plenty of negatives that Virginia must address. The Cavaliers left 28 runners on base over the three-game series — a host of scoring opportunities that went unredeemed. On the defensive side, the bullpen allowed 17 walks and 23 hits this weekend, a rare disappointing performance from the pitching staff. However, there remains plenty of season left to improve on both sides of the ball.
Virginia will return home to host James Madison Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the hopes of picking up a much needed win before returning to ACC play against Boston College at Palmer Park this weekend.
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