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Cavaliers Defeat Seminoles, 4-2
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April 30, 2000
2000 Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Championships
GAME FIVE
Virginia 4, Florida State 2
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 4 seeded Virginia Cavaliers advanced to thepossible championship game with a 4-2 win over the third-seeded FloridaState Lady Seminoles Sunday afternoon at the FSU Softball Complex. TheCavaliers, who improve to 27-34 on the season, advanced to game 8 Monday at1:00 pm as FSU (41-25) will play the winner of game 6 between North Carolinaand Maryland Monday at 11:00am.
The two teams remained scoreless until the fourth inning when the Cavaliersscored twice. FSU pitcher Leslie Malerich walked in sophomore KristenDennis, who reached on a fielder’s choice before senior Karen Breshears camehome on a single to left field from sophomore Kelly McCabe to give Virginiathe 2-0 lead. The Cavaliers added two more in the fifth, scoring of a doubleto right field from freshman Ruby Rojas and a single to right field fromsenior Corinne Good.
The Lady Seminoles put two runs on the board in the sixth inning to cut thelead in half. Sophomore Becky Brock led off the inning getting on base off aCavalier error before junior Staci Brandon knocked Brock in off a single tocenter field. Junior Serita Brooks drove a single to left field and wassacrificed over by sophomore Kimmy Carter before scoring off a Cavaliererror. FSU held the Cavaliers in the top of the seventh and had runners onsecond and third but no one crossed the plate, giving UVA the 4-2 win.
“It was a huge advantage to win this game,” UVA Head Coach Cheryl Sprangelsaid. “We were in this spot the last two years and we knew how importanttoday’s game was. We have six seniors who have been here the past two yearsand they want it really bad.”
Rojas led the Cavaliers, going 2-3 from the plate with an RBI and a double.Good added two RBI’s and was 1-2 from the plate with McCabe adding an RBI.Breshears, Stephanie Calhoun, Johanna Kaiser and Amy Peay all added hitswith Kaiser hitting her fifth double of the season. On the mound forVirginia, Chrissy Quinn got the complete game win, giving up only twounearned runs and striking out eight Lady Seminoles.
Brooks led the Lady Seminoles with a 2-3 showing from the plate including adouble, her fourth of the season. Brandon had the lone RBI for FSU as BeckyWallace and Andi Lyons both added hits. Malerich, who made her 48thappearance of the season, went five innings, giving up four earned runs andstriking out six batters. Jen White-Stokes completed the game, going twoinnings and throwing one strikeout.
“(UVA pitcher) Quinn was mixing up speeds well which got us thinking toomuch at the plate,” FSU Head Coach Dr. JoAnne Graf said. “By the time westarted hitting her, it was too late. We expect a long day tomorrow. If weplay well and start off strong, we’ll be okay.”
GAME FIVE 123 456 7 R H EVirginia 000 220 0 4 8 2Florida State 000 002 0 2 5 2
WP: Chrissy Quinn (12-11)
LP: Leslie Malerich (27-14)