After Friday’s upset, it was not going to be easy for No. 25 Virginia softball to defeat No. 8 Florida State for a second straight time. Unfortunately, it was not necessarily the Seminoles’ (35-6, 10-1 ACC) fight for victory that resulted in a Cavalier (27-11, 8-6 ACC) loss today, but rather a handful of mistakes that ended up making the difference in the final score.
Virginia continued its faceoff versus Florida State on the road Saturday at Joanne Graf Field in Tallahassee, Fla. After the Cavaliers led the game for the majority of the time, a last-minute momentum swing in the sixth inning gave the Seminoles a lead at the most crucial moment, and they defeated Virginia 9-8.
“I don’t question our effort, but a couple of mistakes were costly, and it was hard to come back after that,” Coach Joanna Hardin said. “We have to learn how to walk it down when the stakes are high in a high-pressure situation.”
The third inning gave the Cavaliers a large lead, with Virginia striking first with a pair of doubles from Eaton and senior utility player Sarah Coon to put Virginia on the board 4-0 despite a pitching change by the Seminoles.
The fourth inning showed similar promise, giving the appearance of another potential Virginia victory and second upset of the weekend. Senior outfielder Kelly Ayer, sophomore infielder Bella Cabral and sophomore infielder Macee Eaton all helped runners get home, running up the score for the Cavaliers.
Florida State tried to respond in both of those innings. However, the Seminoles had to work harder to get on the board — giving up an out in order to get a run in at the bottom of the third inning. This continued in the fourth inning, with Florida State cutting the lead to 7-3 with a home run, but it was not enough for the Seminoles to draw even.
After back-to-back offensive explosions from the Cavaliers, it was impossible to predict how things would go south. Unfortunately, much of the issue was caused by the defense. Junior pitcher Eden Bigham took the loss in this matchup, allowing six runs on four hits during her four innings in-game. Just three of her runs were earned, illustrating the defensive struggles experienced by Virginia.
While Bigham successfully struck out three Florida State players during her time, she also allowed three walks to first base. This allowed for a shift in the Seminoles’ momentum, as they started to cut into the lead in the fifth inning.
While Virginia succeeded in scoring another run thanks to a home run by junior utility M.C. Eaton, it would be the final run that it would score before the Florida State offense got going. The Seminoles loaded the bases, benefitting from a fielding error, and used it to their advantage, bringing their fifth run home to close the gap 8-5.
This continued in the sixth inning, as an error in center field and a home run gave Florida State the lead at the worst possible moment for the Cavaliers. Unable to shift the momentum, Virginia fell just short of victory.
While frustrating for the team, the Cavaliers fought hard and held their own against one of the best teams in the nation for the second consecutive game.
“There was a ton of fight today on both sides and everyone had moments,” Hardin said. “As we continue through the back half of conference play, the margin for error is really small…We’ll have to scratch and claw to get it tomorrow, but it’s a great opponent in a great atmosphere.”
Fortunately for Virginia, it has a chance to earn the last laugh Sunday.
“They’ve seen all we have, and we’ve seen all they have so it will be a boxing match, and we hope to be able to throw the last punch,” Hardin said.
The Cavaliers will return to Joanne Graf Field Sunday at noon for their final faceoff of the weekend. After seeing how hard they fought Friday and Saturday, it is very possible that another victory is within their grasp.
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