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April 10, 2000
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of Virginia softball team lost toNorthCarolina 6-2 in the championship game of the Tar Heel InvitationalSunday,April 9 at Finley Field in Chapel Hill.
Earlier in the day, UVadefeatedRadford 8-0, then dropped a 4-0 decision to Florida International. TheCavaliers finished the tournament with a 1-3 record. Virginia advancedtothe championship game by winning a tie-breaker over FIU. UVa third-yearMeaghan Young (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury), second-year Kristen Dennis(Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) and first-year Johanna Kaiser(Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) were named to the All-Tournament team.
In the 6-2 championship game loss to North Carolina, UVa took a 1-0 leadinthe first inning, but the Tar Heels answered with two runs in the bottomofthe second to take the lead for good. UNC added another run in thethirdand three more in the bottom of the fifth to break the game open.
Dennis took the loss as she allowed six runs (four earned) on nine hitsin4.2 innings of work. She struck out six batters and walked one. RadaraMcHugh picked up the win with a complete-game effort. She allowed tworunson nine hits and struck out eight batters while walking five.
First-yearshortstop Ruby Rojas (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) was the only Cavalierwith more than one hit as she went 3 for 4 with a double. Young was onbase three times with a hit and two walks.
In the first of its three games on Sunday, Virginia defeated Radford 8-0insix innings. Fourth-year Chrissy Quinn (Buckingham, Pa./Central BucksEast) fired a one-hitter in improving her record to 6-10. Quinn lostherbid for a no-hitter when Deana Benner singled to center to lead off thefifth inning for Radford. Quinn struck out 10 and walked just two ingaining her second shutout of the season. Benner took the loss for theHighlanders.
Dennis led the UVa offense with a 3 for 4 effort at the plate, whichincluded a pair of doubles. Young also had two hits (a double and atriple) and scored two runs while driving in another. She extended herhitting streak to 10 games. Second-year left fielder Kelly McCabe(MapleGlen, Pa./Upper Dublin) was 2 for 3 with a RBI. Rojas drove in two runswith a double and also scored twice.
UVa fell to Florida International 4-0 in the Cavaliers’ second game onSunday. FIU broke up a scoreless game with two runs in the top of thefourth and two more in the sixth for the 4-0 win. Mila Nelson earnedtheshutout win and allowed just three hits in the process. Fourth-yearStaceyZagol (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) took the loss. Zagol (8-10) allowed threeruns (two earned) on six hits in five innings of work. Quinn allowed anunearned run in two innings of relief.
First-year designated player Stephanie Calhoun (Spring Valley,Calif./MountMiguel) had two of UVa’s three hits, while fourth-year center fielderCorinne Good (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) had the other hit.