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March 12, 2001
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Virginia softball team won the five-team UNC-Charlotte 49er Invitational held March 9-11 at Phillips Sports Complex. UVa second-year third baseman Ruby Rojas (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) was named the Top Offensive Player of the tournament, while Virginia third-year Kristen Dennis (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) was selected the Winning Pitcher of the tourney. With five victories in the 49er Invitational, the Cavaliers improve to 13-6 on the season and have won nine consecutive games.
Virginia began the tournament with a 6-5 win over host UNC-Charlotte on Friday, March 9. The 49ers scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to trim the Cavalier lead to one. Third-year Erin Allinder (Norco, Calif./Norco) picked up the victory for Virginia. Rojas went two for two and scored a pair of runs, while first-year shortstop Heather Field (Lincoln, Calif./Lincoln) drove in three runs with a double and sacrifice fly.
On Saturday (March 10), Rojas broke a 2-2 tie with a home run with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift UVa to a 3-2 victory over Ohio. Rojas was three for three in the game with two runs and two RBI. Dennis earned the victory with 3.1 innings of hitless relief of starting pitcher Jessica Edwards (Santa Ana, Calif./Orange Lutheran). Dennis struck out six batters and helped her own cause with a RBI triple in the first inning.
The Cavaliers then posted an 8-2 win over Appalachian State Saturday afternoon. Allinder, who picked up her second win of the tournament and improved to 4-0 on the season, allowed two runs on three hits in a complete game effort. Dennis, fourth-year right fielder Meaghan Young (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury), and first-year first baseman Hannah Owings (Issaquah, Wash./Liberty) all had two hits for UVa. Owings drove in a pair of runs and scored another, while Dennis scored a pair of runs and also drove in one. Young scored two runs as well.
UVa improved to 4-0 in the tournament and advanced to the championship game with a six-inning, 8-0 victory over Mount St. Mary’s on Sunday morning (March 11). Dennis was two for three in the game with a home run, three RBI and also scored a pair of runs. Owings went three for three and drove in second-year left fielder Johanna Kaiser (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) in the bottom of the sixth inning with the eighth run that enacted the eight-run rule. Kaiser was two for four in the game. First-year pitcher Joanna Barstad (Canby, Ore./Canby) earned the shutout as she allowed just four hits and struck out four in six innings of work.
The Cavaliers won the 49er Invitational title with a six-inning, 8-0 victory over host UNC-Charlotte Sunday afternoon. Dennis tossed a two-hit shutout and struck out 10 batters in picking up her second win of the tournament. She also drove in three runs and hit her team-leading sixth homer of the season. Rojas and third-year center fielder Kelly McCabe (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) both went two for four and scored two runs apiece.