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March 21, 2004

Box Score

CHARLOTTESVILE, Va. – The University of Virginia softball team was held scoreless for six inning, but tied the game at 3-3 with three runs in the seventh and then scored four times in the eighth and went on to a 7-4 win over Rutgers in the championship game of the Cavalier Classic Sunday (March 21) at The Park. With the victory, the Cavaliers improve to 18-15 on the season.

In other Cavalier Classic Tournament action, Youngstown State defeated Towson 4-3 in the third place game. Earlier in the day, Towson registered an 8-4 win over Youngstown State. Rutgers also posted a 7-5 win over La Salle.

Rutgers’ Christina Gillman held UVa to three infield singles in the first six innings, but the Cavaliers erased a 3-0 deficit with three runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 3-3. First-year designated player Brooke Sorber (Alexandria, Va./Mount Vernon) led off the seventh inning with an infield single, UVa’s fourth infield hit of the game. First-year right fielder Jackie Greer (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) and first-year second baseman Elea Crockett (Tucson, Ariz./University) then drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Fourth-year shortstop Heather Field (Lincoln, Calif./Lincoln) followed with a fielder’s choice RBI that scored Sorber. After an infield groundout, fourth-year first baseman Hannah Owings (Issaquah, Wash./Liberty) delivered a two-out, two-run single to right center that scored Greer and Field to knot the game a 3-3. Owings’ hit was the Cavaliers first that was not of the infield variety.

In the top of the eighth, the first extra inning, Owings was placed on second in accordance with the international tie-breaker. Owings broke a 3-3 tie when she scored on second-year third baseman Sara Larquier’s (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) triple to center field. Third-year left fielder Lauren Dennis (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) followed with a two-strike suicide squeeze bunt that scored Owings with what proved to be the game-winning run. Dennis advanced to second on the play at the plate, then scored on Sorber’s fourth hit of the game, a single up the middle. Sorber made the score 7-3 when she scored from third on Crockett’s single to right field. Rutgers scored once in the bottom of the eighth to make the final score 7-4.

Rutgers took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Scarlet Knights took advantage of a walk and an infield error to get two runners on base before Nikki Childress hit a two-out, three-run homer to left center.

First-year pitcher Coty Tolar (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter) picked up the complete-game victory to improve to 5-3 on the season. Tolar allowed four unearned runs on six hits. She struck out three and issued seven walks. Gillman gave up seven runs (six earned) on eight hits in falling to 2-2 on the season. She walked five and struck out two.

Virginia returns to action on Wednesday (March 24) when it hosts in-state rival Virginia Tech in a doubleheader at The Park. The first game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m.

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