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Virginia Softball Drops Pair Of Games To Longwood
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April 12, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Despite a five-hit performance by third-year right fielder Jessica Taylor (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown Academy), including three doubles and a triple, the University of Virginia softball team lost a pair of games to Longwood University Tuesday (April 12) at The Park. The Lancers won the opener 5-2 and then posted a 7-2 victory in the nightcap. UVa now stands at 16-24 on the season, while Longwood improves to 24-20.
In the 5-2 loss in the first game, Virginia took its only lead of the afternoon in bottom of the third inning. Second-year designated player Brooke Sorber (Alexandria, Va./Mount Vernon) reached base with a one-out bunt single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Sorber then scored on Taylor’s single to right center. The Lancers came right back and tied the game in the fourth on Megan Camden’s leadoff home run to right field.
Longwood took a 4-1 lead by scoring three runs with two outs in the fifth inning. Shamana Washington had an RBI single and Jen Steele followed with a triple to bring home Washington. Camden plated the third run of the inning with a single through the left side of UVa’s infield. Longwood increased its lead to 5-1 with another tally in the sixth inning. Becca Walker led off the sixth with a double and eventually scored on Ryan Washington’s fielder’s choice grounder to second base. The Cavaliers made the score 5-2 with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Taylor hit a shallow double to center field and came around to score on third-year third baseman Sara Larquier’s (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) RBI single to left field.
Steele improved to 16-11 with the complete-game win in the circle. She allowed two runs on six hits with one strikeout. UVa third-year pitcher Erin Horn (Tallahassee, Fla./Leon) fell to 5-7 with the loss. In five-plus innings, she allowed five runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Second-year Coty Tolar (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter) pitched the final two innings, giving up two hits while striking out two.
In its 7-2 win in the second game, Longwood jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with two runs in the first inning. Ryan Washington and Hooe led off the game with back-to-back singles. After a groundout moved both runners up a base, Washington scored on Steele’s suicide squeeze bunt and Hooe scored on Camden’s single. The Lancers took advantage of three Cavalier errors to score five unearned runs in the third inning to take a 7-0 lead. Ryan Washington provided the big hit in the inning with a three-run double to center field.
UVa got on the scoreboard with a single run in the bottom of the third inning. First-year second baseman Lindsey Preuss (La Plata, Md./La Plata), Larquier and fourth-year catcher Jenn Wynn (Herndon, Va./Herndon) each hit consecutive singles and then first-year shortstop Kierstie Cameron (Pinon Hills, Calif./Serrano) drew a bases loaded walk to force in Preuss from third base. In the fifth inning, the Cavaliers scored their second run of the game to make the score 7-2. Taylor led off the inning with a triple off the right field wal1 and scored on Wynn’s two-out single up the middle.
Rachel Mills (8-9) earned the victory in the circle for the Lancers. In the complete-game effort, Mills allowed two runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Tolar fell to 7-10 with the loss. She gave up seven runs, only two of which were earned, on 11 hits with one strikeout.
The Cavaliers return to action on Wednesday (April 13) when they host Liberty in a doubleheader at The Park. The first game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.