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Virginia Softball Extends Winning Streak To Nine With Doubleheader Sweep Over Maryland
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April 25, 2004
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Virginia softball team extended its winning steak to nine games by sweeping an Atlantic Coast Conference doubleheader from Maryland on Sunday (April 25) at the Terrapin Complex. The Cavaliers won the first game 6-1 and took the nightcap 11-3 in six innings. UVa now stands a 39-23 overall and finishes ACC regular-season play with a 6-4 mark, including five consecutive conference wins. The Terrapins drop to 25-21 overall and 1-7 in the ACC.
Fourth-year shortstop Heather Field (Lincoln, Calif./Lincoln) drew four walks in the doubleheader to set new ACC and school records for career walks. Field set the new marks when she drew her 145th career walk in the seventh inning of the first game of the doubleheader. Field broke former UVa teammate Kristen Dennis’ (1999-2002) mark of 144 walks and she now has 148 career base on balls, including a school record 59 walks this season.
Virginia won the first game 6-1 behind the one-hit pitching of fourth-year Joanna Barstad (Canby, Ore./Canby). Barstad had her bid for her first career no-hitter broken up in the bottom of the seventh when Nneka Cardoza hit her first pitch of the inning over the center field fence. Barstad struck out four batters while improving to 12-8 with the complete-game victory. Monica Cyphert (8-7) took the loss in the circle for the Terrapins. In 5-1 innings, she allowed six runs on 11 hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
The Cavaliers scored all the runs Barstad would need in the top of the first inning. Field led off the game with a double to left field and was sacrificed to third by first-year second baseman Elea Crockett (Tucson, Ariz./University). Fourth-year first baseman Hannah Owings (Issaquah, Wash./Liberty) drew a walk and then with two outs, second-year third baseman Sara Larquier (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) launched her fifth home run of the season over the center field fence to stake UVa to a 3-0 lead. The Cavaliers added three insurance runs in the sixth inning. Second-year right fielder Jackie Greer (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) led off the inning with shot over the left field fence for her first career home run. Second-year center fielder Jessica Taylor (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown Academy) then doubled to left field and Field moved Taylor to third with a sacrifice bunt. Taylor then scored on Crockett’s fielder’s choice grounder. Crockett moved to second on the play at the plate on Taylor. Crockett then scored on Owings’ RBI single to make the score 6-0.
Virginia rolled to an 11-3 six inning victory in the nightcap to extend its winning streak to a season-high nine games. Maryland took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Crystal Rizzuto and Lauren Pollock registered RBI singles. The Cavaliers took advantage of a pair of Terrapin errors to score five unearned runs in the second inning to take the lead for good. Third-year catcher Jenn Wynn (Herndon, Va./Herndon) led off the frame with a single and moved second when Larquier reached on an error by Maryland’s shortstop. Greer singled to load the bases and UVa scored its first run when first-year designated player Lara Rodriguez (Oak Hill, Va./Oakton) hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Wynn. Taylor then ripped a triple to right field to drive in Larquier and Greer. Field drew a walk and Taylor scored on Crockett’s fielder’s choice grounder and Field scored on a throwing error on the Terps’ third baseman to make the score 5-2. Maryland closed the gap to 5-3 with a run in the bottom of the second when Rachel Greyson doubled and scored on Crystal Tweedy double.
UVa broke the game open with six runs in the top of the sixth. Larquier led off the inning with her second home run of the afternoon and sixth of the season. Crockett added a three-run double to right field and then Owings and Wynn added run-scoring singles to make the score 11-3.
Second-year Erin Horn (Tallahassee, Fla./Leon) earned her third win of the weekend in the circle. She improved to 17-8 with the complete-game victory. Horn allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks. Jessica Aditays (10-10) took the loss. In six innings, she gave up 11 runs (six earned) on 10 hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
UVa closes out regular-season play on Tuesday (April 27) when it squares off against in-state rival Virginia Tech in a single game at 7:00 p.m. at Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va.